Barbecue, Caribbean Style

Barbecue grills are used throughout the winter but they still seem to come into their own around Memorial Day.

Giving barbecued meat a smoky flavor adds a wonderful taste. And it’s so easy to do.

Always on the lookout for new barbecue recipes, especially old favorites slightly revised with a tasty twist, I discovered the perfect trio of barbecue dishes last winter at Eddie’s Ghetto, a charming barbecue shack in Gustavia, on the Caribbean island of St. Barts. The meal was so mouthwatering that I went back twice in just over a week.

Although the blackboard menu listed several French-Creole items, there were three specialties of the house that appealed to me. They were reworkings of those barbecue essentials, salad, ribs and potatoes.

A composed salad of colorful raw vegetables--sliced red cabbage, shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers and tomato wedges in a mustard-chive vinaigrette--started the meal in a simple, fresh manner. The vegetables can be varied according to the best market choices, but the idea is to group them individually on lettuce leaves. Chill the composed salads up to a few hours before serving.

The charred honey-garlic ribs were addictive, and after more rib cooking than I choose to reveal, I’ve come up with a recipe that closely replicates them. Although Eddie keeps the exact recipe a secret, he talked me through enough of the ingredients and cooking process that I was finally able to come up with a winner. The key is to make the barbecue sauce as spicy as you can take it and to cook the ribs slowly over a low-medium barbecue heat.

A gratin of potatoes was most delicious. The sliced potatoes are simmered in a combination of milk and cream with garlic and onion and then baked. It’s a potato dish that the French call gratin Dauphinois. The advantage is that it can be prepared ahead and then easily baked before dinner without any attention from the cook.

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Of the desserts offered at Eddie’s Ghetto--apple tart, floating island and fresh fruit compote--the last is the most refreshing and seems the most appropriate.

CHARRED HONEY-GARLIC RIBS

In tests, I have found there is not much flavor advantage to long marination times. It’s better to tune up the barbecue sauce so that it flavors the meat effectively as it cooks. It also helps to remove the tough membrane along the back of the ribs. Smoking the ribs perfects the flavor, but they’re also excellent baked for one hour in a 350-degree oven, turned once midway and brushed with sauce.

3 large cloves garlic, minced

Scant 1/2 cup honey

Scant 1/2 cup Dijon mustard

Scant 1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Southeast Asian fish sauce such as nuoc nam or nam pla

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

3 (2 1/2-pound) racks lean pork baby back ribs, trimmed of visible fat

In bowl combine garlic, honey, mustard, ketchup, soy, Worcestershire, fish sauce and pepper sauce. Can be made several days ahead and refrigerated.

Use sharp-pointed knife to loosen tough white membrane along bone at one end. Use paper towels to grip loosened membrane and pull it off. Refrigerate ribs until ready to cook.

Preheat gas barbecue to 325 degrees or prepare charcoal or wood fire. Soak wood chips in water 30 minutes. When coals or wood are ash-covered, drain wood chips and place on square piece of foil directly on coals. When chips begin to smoke, brush rack with oil.

Brush ribs with barbecue sauce. Place ribs on rack in single layer, rounded side down. Close barbecue. Cook at low to medium temperature until meat begins to pull away from ends of ribs, about 60 minutes.

Use tongs to turn ribs midway during cooking. Brush with more barbecue sauce at this point, also just before removing from barbecue. Serve hot. If serving as appetizers, cut into individual ribs.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

868 calories; 1,226 mg sodium; 199 mg cholesterol; 60 grams fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 44 grams protein; 0.03 gram fiber.