From the Dean and Deluca Cookbook: "Though the term barbecued ribs conjures up image of sauce-splattered slabs of meat, many rib connoisseurs believe that the finest barbecue of all are dry-rub ribs from Memphis--ribs that lack barbecue sauce altogether. This method emphasizes whatever smoky flavor you're able to coax out of your home grill. Purists also keep sauce off the table--but you should feel free to serve these delicious ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce. This recipe yields ribs that are quite spicy, so reduce the amount of chili powder and ground peppers if you like." I recently replaced chili powder with ground up chipotles (same amount), with fantastic results. It's not too hot, be brave!

• 1 tablespoon whole cumin
• 1/4 cup fine-quality imported sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons top-quality chili powder (or chipotles, powdered)
• 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (I usually omit this, too much sugar for me)
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic mashed into a paste with 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 3 slabs pork spareribs (about 3 pounds each)

Make the dry rub: Heat a small skillet over moderately high heat, add the cumin, and toast until very fragrant, but not burned, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Grind to a fine powder in a coffee/spice grinder. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in the remaining dry rub ingredients, mixing with your hands, if necessary, to completely incorporate the garlic.

The night before serving the ribs, coat them with half of the dry rub. Cover the ribs tightly and refrigerate overnight.

A lot of the info below is crap, but I've included it for completeness' sake. Do what you like for grilling. Those in the know have seen my results under far different conditions:

About four hours before serving, prepare your fire. You'll need a large grill with a cover, good hardwood charcoal, and about 12 cups of wood chips (we like Hickory). Build a stack of charcoal on one side of the grill, ignite it, and let it cook until the coals have turned into a fine gray ash. (A thermometer is a great thing to have for this kind of cooking; the ideal temperature for the inside of the covered grill is 210°F [99°C])

About one hour before cooking the ribs, remove them from the refrigerator. Half an hour before cooking ribs, cover about a sixth of the wood chips with water.

When ready to cook ribs, place the soaked wood chips on top of the coals. Transfer the meat to the grill, putting the ribs on the opposite side of the grill from the heat source. Cover. Total cooking time will be about three hours. Monitor the heat, ideally maintaining it at 210°F; you will need to add more charcoal during the course of the cooking. Every half hour, place another sixth of the wood chips, soaked, on top of the coals. Turn the ribs over every hour. Half an hour before the meat is done, coat it with the remaining dry rub. The meat is done when it is falling off the bones. Let the ribs stand for ten minutes before cutting them into individual ribs.

tjd's personal experiences: After making the rub overnight and getting it on the ribs, rush over to Charlie and Susie's place in West Virginia, running late as usual. Make sure you get the tenderest ribs possible, because you'll have to do this in a hurry. As soon as you pull up to the property, get that fire ready and find the cinder blocks behind the shed. They'll make a tandoor-style oven, which, by design, cooks pretty quick.

Thermometer? Bah! I can feel when it's ready. Use the steel spikes Will has brought and skewer those bad boys and when the low coals' heat rushing up through the makeshift cinder block chimney feel right, hang 'em and cover the top with foil. Take a look a while later (experience teaches you these things) to see when they're ready to re-hang from the other side. Make sure there aren't any large flames licking the meat, or a crunchy-jerky-type of meat will result.

Because we're late in starting, and everyone's starving, toe the line in terms of heat and speed. Not too hot to burn, but hot enough to speed up the process a bit. Those tender ribs are paying off now. They can be done in about an hour and a half. If you're not in a rush like I was, "low and slow" is absolutely the way to go. Come to Mickey's pig roast and see the results of 10-20 hour cooking in the 160-180°F (71-82°C) range.