Austin TX entertainment, events, food, movies, music

The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Events

Suggest an event

Austin Just Stuck To His Ribs

By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
Friday, October 24, 2003

It was a heck of a way to find a calling.

Art Blondin, who moved to Austin from Vermont 23 years ago because he wanted to play music, needed a career to support his pastime.

Photo by Kelly West/AA-S

Art Blondin, owner of Artz Rib House, displays a plate of his renowned babyback ribs.

"I'd always worked in restaurants," says Blondin, who has played bass with Jon Emery the past two decades, "so it seemed natural that I'd keep on doing that."

Eventually, Blondin leased the old caboose on West Fifth Street, which had a barbecue pit, and began smoking meat, something he had never done before.

When the "rib-tickling affair," a contest for charity, came along, he entered all four categories: spare ribs, beef ribs, babybacks and sauce.

To his amazement, he won. First prize. In all four categories.

That cemented his career choice.

"I figured I'd stick with that," he says.

And we're glad he did.

The babyback ribs at Artz Rib House are scrumptious. The small pork ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, with a crisp, almost caramelized exterior and a juicy interior.

To produce that award-winning meat, Blondin begins with slabs of babyback ribs that are 2 pounds or less. He puts a seven-ingredient dry rub (no, he's not telling what's in it) on the meat and smokes it over mesquite.

Then, just before he plates the ribs, he finishes them with a little sauce on a gas grill to give them a caramelized look.

Now that porcine nectar may form the basis of other adventures.

Blondin hopes to package and sell the secret-ingredient rub that he devised, and he's working on a low-carb menu, perfect for all those Austinites on the Atkins diet.

Two slabs of babybacks. Hold the sides.

Sounds like a perfect diet to me.

Back to Index

Now Playing in Central Texas Search for movies playing at theaters across Central Texas, purchase tickets, read reviews from our team of critics and leave your own review.

CENTRAL TEXAS BARS AND RESTAURANTS Find a new bar or restaurant to try tonight. Search by cuisine type, distance, location and price range. Then be sure to come back and leave a review.