Two Sundays ago, we highly-deserving folks on Whidbey Island experienced an authentic summer’s day. That is, it remained sunny all the way from morning until night with no hint of impending showers, the temperature surpassed 75 degrees and the wind did not blow. The aspect of wind velocity is an important one, because it’s impossible to do summer stuff like play badminton, picnic or read trashy magazines outdoors while gale forces steal napkins and paste your hair back. Delano and I took full advantage of the day. We planted our butts in reclining lawn chairs (wearing shorts and tank tops and no socks!), sipped fresh-squeezed lemonade and marveled at rabbits running crazy 8s through the yard and enormous crows puttering about in the birdbath. Indeed, the livin’ was easy.

Except, we got hungry. Now, what does one cook on a hot summer’s day? Of course … barbecued ribs. And not just any ribs, but Jimmy Schmidt’s Rattlesnake Ribs. (Here invoke the haunting harmonica theme from Clint Eastwood’s “A Fistful of Dollars,” two dusty cowboys with pistols drawn.) If you’re wondering who Jimmy Schmidt is, he’s a celebrated chef in Denver, a man who knows his way around a pig bone. His signature Rattlesnake Ribs are cooked in three stages with three sauces, so the flavor doesn’t just sit on top of the meat waiting for you to lick it off. It sinks down into the middle, creating unmatched succulence. A real mean Western rib.

These tasty babies take a little time to prepare, but the process is easy. First, pick out your meat, five pounds worth. There are three types of pork ribs to choose from. All will work. Spareribs are cut from the breast and rib bones and don’t have much meat on them (Booo!). Back ribs are cut from the loin and are meatier. Country-style ribs more closely resemble skinny pork chops than ribs because they’re cut from the blade end of the loin. At the store, I couldn’t find back ribs, so I went with country-style and didn’t sacrifice a thing.

You’re going to need an abundance of dry spices. Go to Ennen’s, where you can purchase them in bulk. Seriously, powdered garlic runs around $7 per pound. Do you know how much powdered garlic there is in a pound? Lots. Check the recipe and your cupboards, but you’ll probably require paprika, dry mustard, and garlic powder.

Now, down to the cooking. The first — and most important — step in making Rattlesnake Ribs is braising. If you aren’t familiar with the braising process, you’re in for a real eye opener. It’s a moist method of cooking, usually reserved for less tender cuts of meat like chuck roasts, brisket and veal shanks. But, I find that you can use this process with whole chickens, pork roasts, just about any type of meat. Simply add some water or broth to a pan (barely enough to cover the meat), toss in a few spices and maybe an onion or some peppers, cover the pan tightly and cook very slowly until tender. You want the liquid to simmer, not boil. Braising allows you to create really deep, meaningful flavors, any sort you like — a little garlic, soy sauce, ginger and hoisin sauce provides an Asian flair. Taco filling can be made by braising meat with peppers, onion, garlic and salsa.

Braise your ribs in the proscribed amalgamation of spices. Then, rub them with still more spices and refrigerate (this can be done up to four days in advance). Lastly, baste them in barbecue sauce and toss them onto the grill. I’ve included Jimmy Schmidt’s recipe for sauce, though I’ve gotta come clean, I bought a bottle of premade. It didn’t seem to matter one bit. The ribs were so scrumptious and tender, they nearly caused my eyes to pop out of my head.

Braising liquid:

4 quarts beef stock (canned or made with boullion cubes)

3/4-cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper.

1 1/2-tablespoons ground cumin

3 tablespoons Tabasco sauce

1 1/4-tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 cup tomato paste

1/4-cup honey

1 tablespoon salt

Combine ingredients in a large pot. Stir well and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Add the ribs —4 slabs, approximately 1 1/4-pounds each — and simmer until tender but not falling apart, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. When they finish cooking, carefully transfer the ribs onto a baking sheet.

Rubbing

spice mixture:

1/4-cup garlic salt

1 tablespoon ground pepper

1/2-cup paprika

1/4-cup dry mustard

1/4-cup red wine vinegar

1/4-cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2-cup beer

Combine ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir to form a paste (add more beer if it’s too dry). Rub the paste over all surfaces of the ribs. Wrap each slab in aluminum foil, dull side out, and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Unnecessary barbecue sauce:

1 cup chili sauce

1 cup catsup

1/4-cup steak sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon finely pressed garlic

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, well drained

3 tablespoons dry mustard

1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon molasses

1 tablespoon salsa

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Combine ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until the sauce is well blended. Adjust seasoning to taste. This should yield 3 cups of sauce.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare hot coals for grilling. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the ribs on the foil. Coat the ribs with 2 cups of barbecue sauce and bake on the center rack of the oven for 10 minutes.

Transfer the ribs to the grill and cook long enough to char. Serve immediately, with the remaining 1 cup barbecue sauce on the side.

Jennifer Vogel brings a fresh perspective to island cooking as she has only recently taken up serious cooking.Readers should enjoy relating to her successes and failures. Send recipes or suggestions to vogel@

whidbey.net