Freda DeKnight was a force to be reckoned with. She was the first food editor for Ebony Magazine in 1946. Her beloved column, A Date With a Dish, was an instant success. One of Freda’s secret was to share recipes, stories, and the lives of Black American home cooks and chefs so that readers felt like they were having a meal with them, not simply learning cooking times and methods.
The Library of Congress has added DeKnight’s cookbook into their historic books for its accomplishments in recognizing Black American cuisine. The digitized cookbook can be found here.
I love a good barbecue. I rarely make it at home - leaving it to the pros in restaurants, especially when I’m traveling to the South. I decided to take a stab at Ebony’s Barbequed Spare Ribs (page 139). I must admit: it takes a little more time. I left mine to marinate overnight. And the hickory salt was not something I found readily at my grocers. So I made my own (based on Freda’s recipe that she kindly included as well). I now add this Hickory Salt to my eggs, sandwiches, chili and more. I basically reach for it every time I want to add a little smoky, earthy flavoring to my meals.
The below recipe is from Freda DeKnight’s cookbook, A Date With a Dish, a Cookbook of American Negro Recipes
Ebony’s Barbecued Spare Ribs
- 6 lbs. lean spare ribs
- paprika (to taste)
- 3 pods garlic, chopped fine
- juice of 1 lemon
- 3 medium onions, cut fine
- bacon fat
- 1 tbsp. dry mustard
- 1 tbsp. thyme or sage
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- *hickory salt (to taste)* See below
- several bay leaves
For the sauce
- 2 tbsps. cumin seed (optional)
- 1 can tomato paste, 8 oz
- 2 tbsps. sugar (optional)
- ½ cup celery, chopped
- ½ cup chili sauce
- 2 tbsps. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsps. chili powder
- several pods red pepper
- 1 cup vinegar
Directions
- Cut ribs in small pieces and place in a flat glass or enamel vessel.
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika and hickory salt. Add chopped garlic, bay leaves, lemon juice. Let stand several hours, or overnight if desired.
Directions for the Sauce:
Sauté onions and celery in bacon fat. When well done but not brown, add chili sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, thyme or sage, chili powder, cumin seed, red pepper, tomato paste, vinegar and sugar.
Marinate ribs in sauce on both sides. Cook under broiler, turning and basting every 15 minutes until well done and very brown. Oven temperature, 300° F. Approximate cooking time for 6 pounds ribs is 2 hours. Keep ribs in the oven to stay warm until ready to serve. Serves 6-8.
A couple of adaptations I made along the way:
- I couldn’t find Hickory Salt, so I made my own using this recipe from Food.com. It was SO easy! All you need is fine grain salt (I used iodized by the way) and Liquid Smoke. Mix together and allow to air dry. Keep in a jar. As I mentioned earlier, I now use this Hickory Salt in plenty of recipes - including tacos, chili, soups, and on my eggs. I love it.
- I used olive oil, not bacon fat, to sauté my onions & celery. I just didn’t have any, and didn’t really see the need (sorry Freda!).
- I used a simple white wine vinegar. Freda did not elaborate, so I assumed it was the basic white vinegar - and it worked really well.
- I used brown sugar for the sauce, not white refined sugar. I like the moistness of brown sugar, plus the extra layer of caramel flavors that it brings with it.
- I definitely added a few extra sprinkles of red pepper flakes & cayenne - as I think the sweetness needed to be rounded out with a little bit of spice.
Otherwise, my family and I were blown away at how easy and flavorful this delicious spare ribs turned out! I highly encourage you to browse through A Date With a Dish! It Make a special recipe with your family. Get to know some characters from our country. It’s a marvelous read.
I hope you enjoyed this final episode for Season One of If This Food Could Talk. This was one of my favorite episodes of the season. It made me so happy to discover Freda DeKnight and all her long-lasting work to shine a light on her community. She’s an inspiration to us all to do more good in this world.
T’slem Edeik, friends. Bless your hands and Happy Holidays!
