Barbecued Spare Ribs
About 3 pounds spare ribs
Spice Rub
2 T kosher salt
2 T brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 T chili powder
1 T paprika
Mix all the ingredients for the spice rub. Rub the spice rub into both sides of the ribs. Wrap the ribs in aluminum foil, in a single layer or slightly overlapped and refrigerate overnight.
To cook in the oven:
Take the ribs out of the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.
Preheat the oven to 250
Place the ribs, still wrapped in the foil, in a roasting pan. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 2 hours. Unwrap and check for doneness. When the ribs are done, the meat will shrink back from the tips of the bones and the bone should wiggle easily. They are done when a toothpick goes between the bones like it's going through butter. Internal temperature will be 190F to 200F.
If not done, rewrap and continue cooking for another 30 minutes to 1 hour, then check again.
You can cook them up to this point and leave them in the oven with the heat off until ready to finish.
To finish, take the ribs out of the foil and place on a sprayed baking sheet or broiler pan. Brush with barbecue sauce and place in a 450 oven, watching carefully until heated through and sauce starts to brown, about 10 minutes, or run them under the broiler, watching carefully, until nicely browned. |
To grill the ribs:
If using wood chips, soak in water to cover for about an hour.
Prepare the grill for indirect cooking (see below).
Sprinkle a handful of wood chips onto the rack above the heat source, allowing them to fall directly onto the fire.
Place the ribs on the grill on the unheated side and cover the grill. You want a very cool fire, under 300 degrees, if possible. On the charcoal grill, add a few briquettes an hour, just enough to keep the fire going. Turn the ribs every half hour or so, adding more wood chips as needed.
You can also fill a spray bottle with apple juice and spray the ribs every hour for added flavor and moisture.
Depending on the heat of your grill, the ribs should be cooked in 2 to 6 hours. When the ribs are done, they will have lost much of their fat, the meat will shrink back from the tips of the bones and the bone should wiggle easily. They are done when a toothpick goes between the bones like it's going through butter. Internal temperature will be 190 F to 200 F .
Just before you are ready to eat, raise the heat to high (or add more briquettes and wait awhile) brush with barbecue sauce and brown the ribs on both sides over the heated side of the grill. Be careful, they will burn very easily. Watch them constantly and move them frequently. Browning will take about 10 minutes.
Serve immediately.
4 to 6 servings |
Preparing the grill for indirect cooking:
If you have a gas grill, preheat by using only one burner on medium heat for about 15 minutes. If you are using a charcoal or wood fire, bank it to one side of your grill and keep the fire as low as possible, starting with just enough coals to get heat, about fifteen briquettes or the equivalent in hardwood charcoal. |
