Beef ribs are big, meaty and perfect for grilling. ; • . that' the usual quantityof recip es the house and into the summer air. ANNABEL COHEN Special to the Jewish News I f you're looking for something alittle different to grill this season, go for the ribs. To me, beef ribs look like something out of The Flintstones. I always think of Fred Flintstone eating those enormous ribs at the drive-in as the open- ing theme song plays. Fred can keep his tyrannosaurus treat; you'll find beef ribs to be big, meaty and perfect for summer grilling. Their exaggerated size make ribs fun, and messy, to eat. Beef ribs seem to intimidate many people, but don't be. Here's how to get started. First, make friends with your butcher. Order the ribs uncut — that is, not split down the middle (horizontally) as they often are pre- cut. Have your butcher remove the outer layer of membrane (under the ribs, not the meaty side), or remove it yourself. Start at one end of the rack and use a sharp knife to lift a portion of the membrane. Then, simply pull off the remaining membrane (like a piece of Scotch tape) from the ribs. It takes about one minute to do this. Then proceed with your recipe. While some like to partially cook ribs before grilling or barbecuing to cut the cooking time, the recipe below skips this step for ease and better flavor. The thing to remember, though, is that beef ribs are tough. They need a longer cooking time for tenderness. Though you can adapt this recipe for short ribs, the longer and more visually stimulating beef ribs are so much more fun. Another plus when cooking beef ribs is that you can make them in advance. Keep them warm in the oven while you prepare the rest of this meal, including herbed new potato kebabs. A lively Asian salad of Napa cabbage flavored with lots of cilantro, and a fresh, sim- ple summer berry pie round out menu. Eating beef ribs en masse is a bonding experience. After you've shared the experience of sticky fingers and barbecue sauce from ear to ear, you're forever closer to your dinner compatriots. Remember to keep plenty of moist Towelettes or napkins at the ready. You and your lucky fellow eaters will be shouting "Yabba-dabba- door before the meal is through. BARBECUED BEEF RIBS 10 pounds beef rib racks (about 24 meaty ribs) Kosher salt and pepper to taste 1 1/2 cups chili sauce 2 T. vegetable oil 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 1 T. minced garlic 1 t. dried oregano 1 t. ground cumin 2 t. dried mustard powder 1 t. .dried thyme 1/2-1-t. cayenne pepper Heat grill to medium-low, since the ribs must be cooked very slowly for the first hour. Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper to taste. With the grill hood down, g rill the rib racks, meaty sides up, for 1 1/2 hours, turn- ing every 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients and whisk well. Brush the ribs lightly with the sauce and continue to grill the ribs for 1 hour or more, turning occasionally and brushing with more sauce, until the ribs are tender. Remove the ribs from the grill, and let stand for a few minutes before slicing into individual ribs. Makes 6-8 servings. GRIT J ED HERBED NEW POTATO KEBABS The potatoes must be small or these kebabs will take foreveer to cook. If you can find only large potatoes, halve or quarter them first. 8-10 bamboo skewers 32 small, unpeeled, red-skinned potatoes, uncut (fewer, if using larger potatoes) 1/3 cup olive oil 1 T. dried parsley 2 t dried dill 1 t oregano 2 t. dried rosemary 1 t. kosher salt 1/2 t. black ground pepper 1 T. granulated garlic Soak the skewers for 2 hours or more in a dish of water. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the whole pota- toes (if you're using large potatoes, cut them in half or quarters first). Cook the potatoes for 10 minutes and drain well. Skewer the potatoes on long (10-inch or longer) skewers, about 3-4 potatoes on each one. Heat grill to medium. Combine the remaining ingre- dients in a bowl and whisk well. Place the potato kebabs on the grill and brush them lightly with the olive oil mixture. Cook the kebabs, turning occasionally, and brushing with the herbed oil, until they're cooked through, about 30-40 minutes. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Makes 8 servings. ASIAN CABBAGE SLAW WITH GINGER- PEANUT DRESSING Sala& 2 pounds Napa or Chinese cabbage (1 meditun head) 2 cups Chinese peapods or snow peas 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts or cashews 1 cup small diced celery 1 cup cilantro leaves 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips 1 bunch scallions, sliced thin Dressing: 1/4 cup peanut butter 2 T. minced ginger 5/31 2002 85