You may have noticed that I’ve been eating at black restaurants for almost a month and have not once had ribs, even though I’ve been in several restaurants where they are served.

There was method in my madness. I wanted to make a point about the diversity of menu items at these eateries. But on the personal tip, I knew I was going to be immersed in ribs at our annual church picnic.  We spent all day Friday, pulling membranes and cleaning the ribs under the direction of our church elder statesman Vernon McLaughlin, who lovingly rubbed each slab, dabbed them in his special baste and covered them in onions and lemons. Then we packed up two oil barrels converted to smokers in a rental truck and carted the whole shebang out to Golden Gate Park, creating an instant rib joint.  

We began cooking at 8:30 a.m. in preparation for the 50 people who showed up just after noon. For a while I was thinking we had brought too many ribs, links and chicken wings.  But gradually the crowd grew.

A sign that we were making an impression was when a caterer from the party at the picnic table next to us came over to look at our ribs.

He offered to trade a bottle of wine for one of our slabs.  We had about 24 so we said sure.   A few minutes later, he was back with a bottle of peach champagne seeking another slab. He made a third trip.

I asked if there were more ribs so I could get a plate as I placed the last slab on. “They’re about gone,” was the reply I got from behind me.

Scurrying over, I got two ribs and brought one to Vernon.   “Falling right off the bone, “ he murmured.  So we each got one rib.

Later on, I found about six in a pan, so I put together a plate to take home.

That is one of the reasons that ribs are such a barometer for black restaurants.  Many of the customers consider themselves experts themselves.

However, as much fun as it is to spend two days barbecuing,, it is a much better time management strategy to pick them up from the local rib joint.