♪♪ -"Cook's Country" is about more than just getting dinner on the table.

We're also fascinated by the people and stories behind the dishes.

We go inside kitchens in every corner of the country to learn how real people cook.

And we look back through time to see how history influences the way we eat today.

We bring that inspiration back to our test kitchen so we can share it with you.

This is "Cook's Country."

♪♪ -Today on "Cook's Country," Morgan and Julia make indoor barbecued ribs.

Jack shares our top picks for non-alcoholic beer.

I share the origin story of jalapeño poppers.

Then Lawman makes some in the air fryer.

That's all right here on "Cook's Country."

♪♪ -Funding for this program has been provided by the following.

-Monument Grills, offering innovative technology and design for the grilling enthusiast.

With a lineup of gas grills designed with durability in mind, including the Eminence 605 with LED touch panels and side and rear infrared burners.

Learn more at MonumentGrills.com.

♪♪ -Morgan here is our resident barbecue expert, so I was pretty surprised when she said she wanted to show us how to make indoor barbecued ribs, because most barbecue fanatics that I know really look down upon indoor barbecue because it's not the real thing.

But here you are supporting the idea.

-Yeah, well, and I'll be honest, like, to some people, saying this is real barbecue, you may have some fighting words there.

But I feel like it's so important to be able to cook ribs all year round.

So here I have two racks of St.

Louis-style ribs.

-Mm-hmm.

-They're 2 1/2 pounds each.

I'm going to cut these in half so I can brine them.

If you try to do it this way, you're giving yourself more problems.

So I'm just going to flip them over.

Then you can see easily where the ribs fall and you can just cut right in between them.

Alright.

So we're just going to set this aside for a second.

So here I have 3 quarts of water.

To this I'm going to add 3/4 of a cup of kosher salt.

I'm using Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

It's a bigger grain size than Morton's.

So if you're going to use Morton's kosher salt you want to use a different measurement.

And those instructions are on our website.

-Great.

-And then I've got 1/3 of a cup of sugar.

And another nuanced ingredient is liquid smoke.

I have a whole 1/4 of a cup here.

This is another thing that I feel like some people have very strong opinions on.

It's a very powerful ingredient and it smells aggressive.

And if you're not used to using it, I think it can freak people out a little bit.

It was invented -- A pharmacist, he actually saw smoke hit cold air and then turn into water droplets.

And then he decided to bottle it.

So that's how it's still made today.

Like, the good quality ones.

It's really natural.

It's really just, like, taking smoke and condensing it.

You don't want to use a ton, but in this brine, it's going to add some nice smoky flavor to these ribs.

And with 3 quarts of water, can handle 1/4 of a cup of smoke.

So I'm just going to press these down to make sure they're submerged.

I'm going to cover with plastic.

And then I'm going to pop this in the fridge for anywhere between 1 and 4 hours.

You don't want to go that long because that liquid smoke is so powerful.

It can kind of take over.

So just 1 to 4 hours.

-Okay.

-Okay.

So I pulled these out of the brine.

I do want to pat them really nice and dry.

I have them on paper towels, but I'm actually going to just give them a nice pat on top, too, to get rid of any extra moisture.

So I do want to make a nice spice rub for these.

-Okay.

-So here I have 1 1/2 tablespoon of kosher salt.

And I have 2 tablespoons of pepper, 1 tablespoon of granulated garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne.

So I'm just going to get this all nice and incorporated.

Alright.

So I am going to sprinkle both sides of these with this.

Let me get them over here.

And I always like to season them from up high.

Especially when you're using this amount of a spice rub.

You want them nice and covered.

So I'm going to cook these in a 275 degree oven.

-Mm-hmm.

-If you think about a smoker, that's often where it's at.

It's right around 275 degrees.

And I'm going to let it go for 2 1/2 hours to start.

I'm just doing the middle rack.

-Okay.

Not covered or anything?

-Not covered anything.

-Alright.

-Now while those start, I am going to make a barbecue sauce.

I have 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil heating over medium heat.

I'm just going to let it get shimmering.

-So what kind of barbecue sauce are you making?

-So I'm going Kansas City style.

It's pretty neutral.

It's like what a lot of people think of as, like, bottled barbecue sauce.

So I'm doing something pretty all-purpose.

But you could play with this.

Like, you could do different barbecue sauces here.

But this one's, like, a good straight down the fairway barbecue sauce.

-All-purpose?

-All-purpose barbecue sauce.

And to this I'm going to add 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion.

Just going to let this go until it's a little softened.

It'll take about 4 or 5 minutes.

Okay.

So these are nice and soft.

-Mm-hmm.

-So we've got a pretty standard barbecue sauce components here.

I've got 1 cup of ketchup, 1/2 cup of cider vinegar.

Of course we want some tang on these.

-Mm-hmm.

-1/4 cup of brown sugar.

So it's gonna be a little sweet.

I feel like when you get Kansas City-style barbecue sauces, some of the bottled ones are a little too sweet.

-Agreed.

-I've had barbecue sauce in Kansas City.

It's a little more tempered.

So this is a little bit more tempered.

And it's sugar, but it's on the sweet side.

-Mm-hmm.

-Got 1 1/2 tablespoon of Worcestershire.

I've got 1 teaspoon of black pepper.

Got 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke.

-Aha.

-Yeah.

A double dose of this liquid smoke.

This is often in barbecue sauce, too.

Like, if you try a lot of barbecue sauce, often you get a little liquid smoke.

-Yep.

-And 1/2 teaspoon of cumin.

And I'm just going to bring these to a simmer.

I'm gonna let it go just until it thickens.

It'll only take about 4 minutes.

-Okay.

Mmm.

They don't look done yet.

-They're not done yet, but they smell great.

Alright.

And they don't look bad.

But they're not done yet.

So I'm gonna take 1/4 cup of the sauce and just brush it right on top.

Get them nice and lacquered.

-So just a little bit of glaze.

-Just a little bit of glaze.

Well, our base tan is set.

These are looking great.

So I'm going to pop these back in the oven.

It's going to take anywhere between 2 and 2 1/2 hours.

Same oven, 275 degrees again, middle rack.

-And you didn't flip them over or anything.

Once they're on the tray, you just leave them there.

-Yeah.

It's really chill.

-Alright.

They should look good.

[ Gasps ] Oh.

They don't look good.

They look great.

-You know, I promised good ribs.

I know my way around a pig.

-You are not fooling around.

That's incredible.

-Yeah.

So let's check them.

So I just want them to be fork tender.

There's a lot of thoughts in the barbecue world about what a good rib should be like.

And I don't think it actually should quite fall off the bone.

It should just be really tender and be, like, shredd-y, but still have some texture.

-A little toothy tug.

-A little toothy tug.

So I'm just going to go in with a fork and just do a little, like... Oh, yeah.

It's nice and tender, but there's just the tiniest, tiniest bit of resistance.

But it's so nice.

It's going to be some good eating.

-They look beautiful.

-And they're going to look a touch more beautiful because I'm gonna do another 1/4 cup of sauce just on them while they rest.

Yeah.

And this is just, like, I feel like that first round of sauce is really, like, giving that crust, giving a nice bark, adding a little more flavor.

This is where you start getting into the wet ribs.

It's going to add a little sheen, a tiny bit of, like, sauciness, and, you know, the right kind of messiness.

And I'm just going to tent these with foil.

I'm just gonna let them rest for about 30 minutes.

Now it is really important to let ribs rest.

It does make them nice and juicy.

Like, we put in all that love.

Let's give them the last little bit to get them through.

30 minutes.

-Okay.

-Okay.

They've rested 30 minutes.

-Mm-hmm.

-Time for us to jump in.

-They are lookers.

-Yeah.

Alright, I'm gonna slice them up.

I'm gonna use the bones as my guide.

This is, like, messy work, but someone's gotta do it.

-It's the best kind of messy work.

-The best kind of messy work.

Oh, yeah.

I kind of love this.

Like, you get -- You can start to see, like, the bark and the meat.

-Mm-hmm.

They smell so good.

-This is a kind of recipe that I'm so excited to, like, give to my family.

It's the kind of thing that they'd make for sporting events and tailgating and things like that.

And it's so easy, and it feels special.

-Oh, look at this pile of ribs.

-But now is, like, the real moment of truth.

-Yeah.

I gotta push up my sleeves here.

-Oh, yeah.

This is like, you know, get ready.

-[ Laughs ] -Okay.

Okay, I'm gonna pile you up a little bit.

-If I hadn't seen you make them, I would have guessed that these were done on the grill because they're that beautiful.

-Let me give you a little sauce on the side here.

-Alright.

-I won't put it on the ribs because I want you to try the ribs plain.

-Okay.

-Alright.

-I'm going in just for one rib.

-Alright.

Me, too.

-Mmm.

Mm-hmm.

-Mm-hmm.

-They have the perfect texture.

Like you said, they're not falling off the bone, but they are so juicy and tender.

-Mm-hmm.

Like, they're really shredd-y.

They have that nice bark, so you get that contrast.

-They do.

And I saw you put a lot of pepper on there.

I was a little worried.

-Mm-hmm.

-It just tastes really nicely seasoned.

-I feel like good barbecue, you want a good amount of seasoning.

Like, you want to feel, like, a little spice in your mouth but not take over.

-Mm-hmm.

-And this, I feel like you get that nice balance.

Like, like I said, it's like barbecue, salt, pepper, smoke.

And that's what I really want here.

-Yes, that's what you get.

Barbecue, salt, pepper, smoke.

-Mm-hmm.

-This is fantastic.

-Thank you.

-What a great recipe, Morgan.

Thank you for showing me how to make it.

-And thank you for eating ribs with me.

-[ Chuckles ] Anytime.

If you want to make this awesome recipe for indoor barbecued ribs, brine St.

Louis-style pork ribs with liquid smoke, roast for 5 hours and a 275 degree oven, and brush the ribs with homemade sauce part way through cooking.

From "Cook's Country," Morgan's easy but awesome recipe for indoor barbecued ribs.

I can't believe how easy this was.

-Well, thank you.

-You just brine it and throw them in the oven, make a little sauce, and Bob's your uncle.

-[ Laughs ] Yes.

Bob is my uncle.

-[ Laughs ] ♪♪ -I am absolutely an unapologetic beer drinker.

I love the taste of beer, just about any style.

Now, non-alcoholic beers, well, I hope they've come a long way in the last 20 years because when I used to drink them every once in a while, they weren't so great.

But Jack's here.

He's got a pageant of beers for me to try.

So tell me what I'm drinking.

-Yeah, and I should say that of all of my friends, no one knows more about beer than you.

So this is like bringing coals to Newcastle.

-[ Laughs ] I'll take that compliment.

-There is a lot of good news here.

I mostly just want your impressions.

But I'm giving you one challenge.

I've included O'Doul's.

So O'Doul's was introduced in 1990 and was kind of the standard bearer.

-Definitely.

-And there are lots of other choices here.

Things we liked.

We tasted 18 different beers, so you can start sipping.

I'm going to talk a little bit why non-alcoholic beers are so much better than they used to be.

-Okay.

Is this the O'Doul's?

-I'm not telling.

-Oh, okay.

-You know, you tell me.

How does that sound?

-I'm assuming it's in one of these two Pilsner glasses, so.

-Well, I knew that if I put the type of beer in the wrong glass that I was going to get, you know, from you.

And so we decided that we were going to put them in the right glasses.

So, yes, you have a 50/50 chance.

-Okay.

-That's what you're telling me.

-Okay.

Perfect.

-So technology has really improved since 1990 when O'Doul's was first introduced to the market.

So the old fashioned technology, which really dates back to prohibition, was to cook the beer, bring it to 173 degrees, at which point the alcohol will start to evaporate and you get skunky non-alcoholic beer.

-Right.

-So the first modern technology is vacuum distillation.

So the old fashioned method was to heat the beer to 173 degrees, the temperature at which the alcohol will begin to evaporate.

In a vacuum, that temperature is reduced to 60 degrees.

And so you don't get the cooked beer flavor because you're not cooking the beer.

-Right.

-Second technology is membrane filtration, where they can basically filter out the alcohol.

And then they're doing something called arrested fermentation, where they remove the yeast very early in the process before too much alcohol is developed.

-Does that make it sweet?

-It might.

[ Both laugh ] You tell me.

-I'm just seeing all these problems with that method.

-Yeah, well, and some of the companies are using a combination of technologies.

I should explain that on the table, there are both non-alcoholic beers and alcohol-free beers.

So the non-alcoholic beers have an ABV below 0.5%.

To be labeled a alcohol-free beer, it has to be below 0.05%.

That's the amount of alcohol in a ripe banana.

So are you ready to hazard a guess as to where you think the O'Doul's is?

-I would have to say, only because I recall O'Doul's leaving a little bit of a sweet taste.

-Mm-hmm.

-And of these two, I would say that this particular one is O'Doul's.

I'm not.

No?

-No.

Ah.

-[ Mimics buzzer ] -So this is the O'Doul's, which is a non-alcoholic beer.

-Right.

-This is the Heineken 0.0.

So this is an -- Yeah.

It's an alcohol-free beer.

And this was our favorite, actually, of all the lagers.

We thought it was just a really lovely lager.

And, you know, it's imported.

So it's a little more expensive than some of the other choices.

But it really mimicked what people expected from a lager.

-And it has that Heineken profile, for sure.

Definitely.

And if you know it, you know it, right?

-So what did you think here of the next one?

We tasted a variety of different ales.

This was our favorite golden ale.

It's from a company called Athletic Brewing.

This is their Upside Dawn.

Not upside down, Upside Dawn.

-Lovely.

-I actually really, really like this beer a lot.

You said it's the golden ale.

And that makes total sense because it has this toasty biscuit flavor that you get from... It's usually Viking malt or 6-row malt, one of those.

It's just perfect, but it's got a little bit of a grapefruit profile, which I really like.

-Yeah, so do I.

-A little citrus.

-So these are our IPAs.

So this is our favorite of the West Coast style.

-Oh, okay.

-This is actually from Wisconsin.

A company called Untitled Art.

-The west coast of the lake.

[ Both laugh ] -It's a style, as you know.

-Definitely.

-You know, the East Coast IPAs are pretty different in terms of fruitiness and piney-ness, and I think these two IPAs really represent both of those styles nicely.

-Yeah.

I mean, West Coast is usually super heavily hopped.

-Yeah.

-This one I can taste Cascade, I can taste Simcoe.

Both of those are kind of piney, a little bit of that piney note.

-Yeah, and I actually prefer the fruitier, the hazy East Coast style, which is -- This is the Sam Adams.

-It's lovely.

-I get a little bit of grapefruit in that one, personally.

I'm not sure what you were getting.

-Yeah, no, that's a lovely little balance of hops and malt.

But the thing is, is that you would expect -- I mean, this was lovely, too.

IPAs would definitely do better than the lagers, because with the addition of the hops, they can mask some of the off flavors.

-Now big shock.

What do you think is in the Guinness glass?

-That looks like a glass of wine to me, Jack.

Let's see.

You know what the true test of a Guinness is, right?

Non-alcoholic or regular.

It's... Did it leave a mustache?

-You got a baby mustache.

-Alright.

-[ Laughs ] -You know, this isn't too bad.

.Actually, if I was sitting in a pub and I knew I needed to drive, or maybe I just didn't want to drink a beer, I would actually quite enjoy this.

It wasn't bad at all.

-Yeah.

I feel like you get the chocolatey, toasted oatmeal things that I love about stout.

And, you know, it's -- it's pretty close.

-It's pretty close.

It doesn't have the same body.

I would say that might be the one thing that's missing.

-I think if we've convinced Bridget Lancaster, or more importantly, if the manufacturers of non-alcoholic beer have convinced Bridget Lancaster, they've climbed a mountain.

-A huge mountain.

This is the Everest of beer tastings, for sure.

I learned a lot, so I appreciate you bringing all of this to me.

-Thank you, Bridget.

-So if you'd like to learn more about the full tasting results, then go check out our website.

Cheers to you.

-Thank you.

-They're all mine.

-[ Laughs ] ♪♪ -Jalapeño poppers are the crown jewel of many a bar menu.

They're a tasty, bite sized snack that you can pop into your mouth.

They were inspired by a beloved Mexican dish called chile relleno, which translates to stuffed peppers.

Chile rellenos are typically made of roasted poblano peppers filled with cheese and then fried until golden brown.

In the 1960's, jalapeño poppers started to pop up in bars and restaurants across the U.S.

By the 1990's, they were available in the freezer aisle of the grocery store.

Today, jalapeño poppers are so popular that they've become their own flavor.

There's jalapeño popper Doritos, jalapeño popper pizza bites, and even jalapeño popper hot dogs.

And now, here at "Cook's Country," we pop our version of this fun snack into the air fryer.

♪♪ -Jalapeño poppers.

They're crispy, they're spicy.

They're great to order at a bar, but not ideal to make at home.

Well, what if you had a great teacher and maybe the right tools for the job?

So Lawman's here, and he's going to be our teacher to teach us how to make great jalapeño poppers.

-That's right, Bridget.

If you're a couch coach like I am, the best play you can call all season is jalapeño poppers in an air fryer.

-Oh, okay.

-They're best game time, any time.

They're easy to make, and they're delicious.

-So air fryer.

So you're introducing a new player onto the field.

-Exactly.

-Okay.

-My star player.

MVP.

-Nice.

-So here I have six jalapeños.

So we're going to prep these.

Some of them are already prepped, but I'm going to finish prepping them.

You want to cut them in half, keeping the stem intact.

-So you're splitting right through the stem as well.

-It's just going to give it a nicer presentation.

-Definitely.

-Once you do that, you want to get rid of the seeds and the ribs.

So I'm just using a spoon to just dig out the ribs and the seeds.

-Okay.

So next, we're going to season our peppers a little bit.

I have 1/4 teaspoon of table salt.

Just going to go right on the peppers.

So now I want to finish prepping the ingredients to go inside the pepper.

-Okay.

I have scallion.

I'm just going to cut this thin.

Next, I'm going to add 1 tablespoon of minced cilantro.

Now I'm going to add some jarred pickled jalapeños.

This is going to add some acidity to the filling.

I'm going to add 1 tablespoon of chopped.

-Okay.

Yeah.

Very different flavor from fresh jalapeños.

Briny, tart.

-Now I'm going to add 4 ounces, which is 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

This is going to melt in the popper.

It's going to add some of that gooey texture that we love.

-Love it.

-Next I'm going to add 4 ounces of softened cream cheese.

This is going to add that pillow-y soft texture.

1 teaspoon of lime zest.

-Mmm.

That'll brighten things up.

-Last but not least, 2 teaspoons of cornstarch.

-I don't think I've ever seen that in a popper recipe.

-So this is going to help bind everything together.

We want the filling to stay in the popper and not spill all over your nice new game jersey.

-[ Laughs ] Well, it depends on who wins.

-If it's a lucky jersey, you want it to stay lucky.

So you don't want to get any food on it.

-That's true.

-So I'm just going to mix this together.

-So tell me about your research.

Did you spend a lot of time in bars eating these?

-I did.

[ Both laugh ] So I think that's good.

I'm going to bring it over here.

-Okay.

-I'm going to show you how to do one, and hopefully I can get you to help me do the rest.

-Pleased to help.

-So I'm going to give you that.

-Okay.

-So it's going to be about 1 tablespoon of filling.

But at the end of the day, you want to add it to the pepper.

-Mm-hmm.

-And then make sure it's flush with the edge.

-Okay.

So I saw you used some sort of advanced smearing technique.

-[ Chuckles ] That's borrowed from my bagel technique.

-Oh, I like it.

-So we're just going to finish stuffing these peppers before we can pop them.

-Alright.

-So we've finished stuffing the peppers.

Now we're going to go with the next ingredient, the bacon.

-I'd say it's the most important ingredient in this entire recipe.

-It is a really good ingredient.

-[ Laughs ] -So I have six strips of bacon that have been cut crosswise to give you 12.

-Okay.

-One for each popper.

You want to use thin cut bacon so that it crisps up in the time it takes to cook the poppers.

-Okay.

-And it will wrap around the popper better than a thick cut bacon.

-Right.

-As much as we love thick cut bacon.

-Yes.

Just not today.

-No.

So I'm going to show you how to do one of them, and hopefully you'll help me again.

-Okay.

-So just going to put the bacon at the bottom of it.

Just wrap it around.

Make sure the end is at the bottom.

And then just place it down so that the seam's at the bottom so that when it cooks, it's going to seal and stay wrapped.

-Okay.

Got it.

What do you think?

Am I going to get on Lawman's popper squad?

[ Both laugh ] -You're already on there.

-Alright.

-Bridget, this is the droid we've been looking for -- the air fryer.

-Yes, it is the droid I've been looking for.

-The magic utensil that's going to help us make these poppers.

So all 12 are going to fit in here.

It's fine if they touch.

You just don't want them to be stacked on top of each other, because it'll hinder the air circulation and you won't get even cooking.

-Okay.

-Now, if you wanted to double this recipe, you could.

You just have to cook it in multiple batches.

-Or you could just buy a second air fryer.

-Well, there's that, too.

-Alright.

-Nice snug fit.

-Yes.

[ Air fryer beeps ] -So we want to cook these until the bacon is crisp and the peppers are tender.

We're going to set it for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

-That's fast.

-Yes.

Some air fryers have a preheat function.

We found that because it preheats so fast that you don't need to wait for the preheat.

-Okay.

-Now we're popping.

[ Air fryer beeps ] Bridget, it's been 10 minutes.

Let's check on the poppers.

-Oh.

[ Gasps ] Look at those.

-Bacon's crisp.

The peppers are tender.

Now, if they weren't tender and crisp, you can cook this for a little bit longer, up to a total of 14 minutes.

-Okay.

Oh.

Ooey and gooey and crispy.

I'm actually astonished at what a great job the air fryer did.

-Also, the great thing is we didn't need to precook anything.

-Right.

-We didn't have to par cook the bacon.

We didn't par cook the peppers.

Everything cooked in the same amount of time.

So I'm going to give you two warnings.

One, these are ripping hot.

-[ Chuckles ] The second is you notice I gave you two.

That's because I know that it's almost impossible to only eat one.

-Right.

Alright.

Tucking in with my hand, right?

Mmm.

Oh, I got a little bit of that lime.

That is lovely.

And the pickle-y jalapeño in there.

That is gorgeous.

Briny.

That bacon.

And it's super crisp on the exterior, especially on the top.

Even the bottom is really well rendered.

-And then you have that nice pillow-y cream cheese, gooey cheddar.

-Mmm.

These are fantastic.

They're spicy.

They're crisp.

You got the pickle-y jalapeños.

Got that little bit of lime zest to brighten things.

The two kinds of cheese.

That sharp is nice because -- that sharp cheddar -- because you can still taste it.

-Yes.

-Yes.

This is gorgeous.

-And you didn't get any on your shirt.

-Mm.

Yet.

-It's the cornstarch.

-Alright, so we've got to make another batch before the game comes on.

You up for that?

-Yes.

-Put me in, coach?

-[ Chuckles ] -Thanks, Lawman.

Really appreciate it.

Well, if you want to make these fantastic poppers, it starts by using large jalapeños for even cooking.

Stir in a little cornstarch to help the filling stay cohesive, and wrap bacon around only once to ensure that it's crisp and well rendered.

So from "Cook's Country," air-fryer jalapeño poppers.

You can get this recipe and all the recipes from this season, along with product reviews and select episodes.

And those are all available on our website, CooksCountry.com/TV.

Alright, these have cooled down enough.

I think it's time to pop.

What do you think?

Maybe just a half.

Half a pop.

Mmm.

-Let us help with dinner tonight.

Visit our website anytime for the newest season's rigorously tested recipes, full episodes, ingredient advice, and equipment reviews.

CooksCountry.com/TV.

-"The Complete Cook's Country TV Show Cookbook" brings together every recipe, tasting, and test from 18 seasons of the beloved TV show, with trusted equipment recommendations and insights from the entire cast.

This book is your guide to the very best in regional cooking.

The cost is $24.99, $15 off the cover price of $40.

To order, head to our online shop at CooksCountry.com/book.

-Funding for this program has been provided by the following.

-Monument Grills, offering innovative technology and design for the grilling enthusiast, with a lineup of gas grills designed with durability in mind, including the Eminence 605 with LED touch panels and side and rear infrared burners.

Learn more at MonumentGrills.com.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪