Low and Slow - Ribs are Like Hope

On August 4, 1770, when George Washington writes in his diary about going to a "Barbicue," it’s safe to say that the meat wasn’t wrapped in aluminum foil. When ribs were first barbequed in America, there was no wrapping. Aluminum foil wasn’t invented till 1910.

But there is a rich tradition of wrapping meats in banana leaves. It both protects the meat from cooking too quickly while bringing additional moisture and allowing rubs and flavorings to do their thing.

Aluminum foil is a very good substitute for banana leaves. It allows ribs to cook over low heat over a very long period of time. You can add rubs and other flavor enhancers that the aluminum foil will both hold to the meat and protect from direct heat.

Some people swear that using butcher paper makes a much better wrap for the ribs than aluminum foil. Since the paper is not airtight, it allows more smoke to permeate the meat, enhancing its flavor. Not sure I buy that, but I’m only going to use aluminum for my ribs.

Don’t know about you, but I have trouble being patient, waiting for the ribs to cook low and slow. I want them, and I want them now. Wrapping them in aluminum foil helps to slow down the process, ensuring better flavor, meat that’s both tender and moist.

Yes, wrapping your ribs is a good thing. It helps to add flavor and tenderness. It adds to the overall enjoyment of the ribs when you eat them.

So, I wonder, is there is a reason to wrap up hope? I think the answer is yes. If hope comes too fast, it tends to disappear just as rapidly. We not only need hope, we need it to come and grow like we cook our ribs, low and slow.

Someone a lot smarter than me once wrote:

Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.

While Solomon was writing about money, I think the same is true for hope.

So let’s pursue our hope; nice and easy, low and slow.