~ Melanie's McRib. "Would you like fries with that?" ~
Joe has a round about way of asking me to cook something he's really hungry for. Perhaps he's just cautious. He knows I always have some sort of plan in place or in progress. After a couple of trips to the refrigerator this morning, he found the courage to ask, "Are you planning to make anything with the leftover ribs?" For me, reading between those lines was not rocket science. Joe was craving the ribs and I was almost certain he wanted me to make what I almost always make with these particular leftover BBQ'd spareribs: My McRib sandwiches!
I love these sandwiches as much as Joe does, but, I assure you, neither he or I have ever tasted a McRib at McDonalds. We are not drive-through kind of people. In fact, the first time I made these for our PSU tailgate group, I'm pretty certain the McRib hadn't even been invented yet!
Joe gets his craving satisfied, I write a blog post I never would have thought to write, and, you get a great sandwich recipe!
The ribs Joe was referring to were leftover from Friday's dinner and they are bone-in country-style spareribs. Without exception, these are the only ribs I will ever use to make my rib sandwiches. They are taken from the rib end of the pork loin, and, unlike babyback ribs they are very meaty and are marbled with quite a bit of fat. You will not get the taste or texture from any
other cut of pork, so don't be inclined to substitute anything else. You will just end up disappointed.
You can get my easy recipe for ~ Broiled & Baked: K.C. BBQ'D Country-Style Ribs ~ by clicking on the Related Article link below. My recipe for ~ Kansas City BBQ Sauce: Sweet, Spicy & Smoky ~ can be found there too!
I reheated this pan of six leftover ribs (pictured just above) in the microwave about 5 minutes, just long enough to warm them in order to soften them after a night in the refrigerator. I used a fork to pull the meat from the bones and shred it, but you can use your fingers if you like. Discard the bones and any large pieces of fat as you work.
Six ribs will yield enough meat to make six sandwiches, and, enough sauce for dipping an drizzling!
Choose your favorite rolls. We like soft ones with sesame seeds. They are also larger than the average hamburger roll, being closer in size to a Kaiser roll.
Open and place each roll on an aluminum foil sheet that will be large enough to wrap the sandwich without pressing down on it. Place three slices of cheddar cheese on the bottom half of each roll.
Place the top of the roll on each, but, don't press down on it. Wrap the foil around each one, and seal tightly, again, without pressing down on the sandwich. Bake on center rack of preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. While sandwiches are baking, warm the sauce. Sauce and serve the sandwiches immediately:
Note: Because these sandwiches are not sauced until the end, they can be assembled and wrapped a few hours in advance of baking -- which is why they are great to take to a tailgate!
Melanie's McRib. "Would you like fries with that?": Recipe yields 6 hearty sandwiches.
Special Equipment List: fork; aluminum foil
Cook's Note: Joe and I both love sandwiches, and we both have our favorites, but, this post is all about him. So, for one more of his favorites, check out my recipe for ~ Joe's Beefy French-Onion French-Dip Sandwiches ~. You can find the recipe in Categories 2 or 19!
"We are all in this food world together" ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos, Courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyrigh 2014)
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