| This story has been corrected. See below. |
Remember that big old horse at the entrance? The wagon wheels in the dining room? The animal heads over the buffet line? Remember the buffet?
Kathy Laoron certainly remembers the old Flamingo Chuckwagon, particularly the beef ribs.
The Chuckwagon on Kapiolani Boulevard closed in 1998, but dishes like those ribs live on in the memories of many who ate at the hearty buffet over three decades.
Lani Johnson and Ann Yamamoto both came up with the rib recipe, which was printed in an old Star-Bulletin column called "Cooking with the Pros," credited to chef Betty Martin.
"These ribs were on the Chuckwagon’s lunch buffet and I loved them," Johnson wrote. "And now that I have found this recipe in my numerous piles of recipes, I need to go out and buy some ribs and make them again."
"Many, many moons ago this used to be my no-way-to-blow’ go-to recipe," Yamamoto said. "I thought it tasted just like the ribs at Flamingo, and it was a real crowd-pleaser."
It’s a simple recipe, calling for roasting the ribs for an hour, then covering them in a classic teriyaki blend of soy sauce, sugar and ginger. After more roasting and basting, they turn out nicely glazed and tender.
Yamamoto warns, though, that the dish no longer matches her taste memory. She speculates that today’s cuts of beef might no longer be as meaty. "Something isn’t quite the same. Seems curious for such a simple recipe. I cannot reconcile the difference."
So caveat emptor, if you will accept nothing but an exact match. But don’t worry, be happy, if you just want some really good ribs. My test of this recipe yielded a mighty fine platter of tender, tasty beef.
Flamingo Barbecued Beef Ribs
4 to 5 pounds bone-in lean beef short ribs
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Cut ribs into 3-inch pieces. Place in rimmed baking pan. Bake uncovered 1 hour.
Combine remaining ingredients; stir to dissolve sugar. Pour over ribs. Continue cooking another 30 minutes.
Turn ribs and baste with juices in pan. Cook another 20 to 30 minutes, until tender. Skim fat from juices in pan and serve with ribs. Serves 8.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (based on 4 pounds ribs): 500 calories, 23 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 170 mg cholesterol, 1,600 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 48 g protein
Note: To cut fat, bake ribs initially in a pan on a rack. After 1 hour of cooking, move ribs to another baking pan and cover with sauce. Discard fat from first pan.
Can you help?
If you have either of these recipes sought by readers, please get in touch (contact information is at the end of this column). The first person who can solve one of our recipe mysteries will receive a cookbook.
» "Woolworth’s used to sell a really moist bread pudding," write Donald and Noella Narimatsu. "Does anyone have that recipe?"
»Patsy is looking to make the peanut butter coffee cake served at Kapalama Elementary School in the 1960s. She says the cafeteria manager was Mrs. Matsuda.
Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S. Write "By Request," Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com
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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified the co-owner of the Flamingo Chuckwagon in a photo caption. He is Dan Nagamine, not Ken.
