This past summer, I was given the opportunity to learn barbecue techniques from Big Ed, the owner of Big Ed's BBQ in Waukegan, Illinois. Big Ed has a very interesting background, and you can read his story on his website. He was hosting a seminar at my local library at home, and he even brought samples! Below is one of the recipes he shared with us, and I highly recommend it!

First you want to start off by making the dry rub for the meat; you can use this for brisket, a rack of ribs, rib tips, spare ribs, and chicken! (This dry rub can come out with a kick sometimes, so you may substitute the excess spices with more brown sugar)

2 Cups of Light Brown Sugar

1/3 Cup Kosher Salt

1 Cup Paprika

1/4 Cup Garlic Powder

1/4 Cup Onion Powder

1/4 Cup Chili Powder

1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper

1 Tbsp Cumin

1 Tbsp Ground Black Pepper

2 Tbsp Dried Parsley Flakes

Mix ingredients together in a large bowl thoroughly

Next, you are going to want to have the meat already defrosted, and an oven preheated to 250 degrees.

This works best on a baking pan lined with foil

If you decide to use rib tips for this recipe, rinse them under water, and remove the membrane from the back of the rib. Sometimes, you can ask this process to be done at the store. Then you want to dry the meat with a paper towel. Apply a generally heavy coating of the dry rub, and lay on the foil lined baking pan.

Cover the baking pan with foil tightly, as this will keep the moisture in and prevent the meat from drying out and burning.

Place in the oven for 2 hours

After 2 hours, you will want to remove the meat and remove the foil covering. You are now able to do a taste test and make sure the meat is tender and falls off the bone.

Increase the oven temperature to 300 degrees and place the uncovered baking pan in the oven for an additional 25-30 minutes to absorb any excess moisture, and create a crust around the meat with the dry rub.

Enjoy!