We’re headed into the fifth week of California’s mandatory order to stay-at-home, in an effort to curtail the spread of the coronovirus. With no established end to this stay-at-home order, the most planning I can do is for meals. At least that has gotten easier. This global pandemic has put the kibosh on all the various vegan-vegetarian-keto menus that I have been juggling for years. Now, the menu revolves around pantry items and things I can get in bulk. Still, summer is around the corner and this stay-at-home mandate isn’t forever. When it’s lifted, you can bet that we’ll make up the celebrations we are missing out on during The Great Pause: a half-marathon trail run I diligently trained for, a bucket-list vacation to New Orleans, my daughter Sofia’s junior prom, my niece’s sixteenth birthday party, my husband’s milestone birthday, MY milestone birthday, everyone else’s May birthday (most of the family birthdays are in May), our mother’s day lunch tradition with my mom, and my youngest daughter Beja’s 8th grade graduation. And when we get together again, I already know what I want to make…Smoked Pork Ribs with Spicy Barbecue Sauce.
Different types of ribs require a different approach to cooking depending on the size, cut, type of meat, and the fat versus meat content on the rib. The ribs I used were from Costco—Swift Premium, vacuumed-packed St. Louis-style pork spareribs. There are two racks in each of these packages.
3-2-1 Method
This recipe uses a 3-2-1 method. The 3-2-1 means 3 hours of smoking, 2 hours of grilling, and 1 hour of basting in barbecue sauce to get a nice glaze. It took about 5 hours to make not including time to prepare them the night before.
And here’s how to do it. Start by preparing the ribs. After removing them from the packaging, remove the membrane and dry them with a paper towel. Drying them helps the rub stick a little bit more evenly to the meat.
Liberally apply the rub to the ribs, making sure to rub it in and adding extra on top.
When done, wrap them in foil, and place in the fridge overnight to season. I placed the extra rub in a container and refrigerate it to use later.
The next day when you’re ready to start, I prepare your smoker, making sure the grates are clean and oiled, and changing out the drip tray liner if necessary. Turn the smoker to “Smoke” and after about 5 minutes, add the ribs, bone-side down.
While they are smoking, make the marinade. In barbecuing jargon this is called the “mop.” This was for step 2.
Then I make the barbecue sauce and set it aside for step 3.
After three hours, when the ribs are done smoking, remove them.
At this point, they won’t be done but they’ll smell delicious.
(While I was handling the ribs, Jeff closed the lid and set the Traeger to 225 degrees Fahrenheit so that would reach the desired temperature by the time I was done with the next step.)
Add the Mop
Placed the ribs on a large sheet of foil and add the “mop.” There are several ways you can add the mop, and pit masters each have their own preference. One way is to use a spray bottle to evenly add the mop all over the rack. I initially tried this, but it clogged up too frequently, so I resorted to pouring it over the rack.
After applying the mop, wrapp up the ribs and placed them back on the grill for 2 hours, so the mop can soak into the meat and make them moist and flavorful.
For this type of rib, the cut, and amount of meat, I miscalculated and it was too much. I’m including the photo to illustrate my point. The next time I make ribs, I will use a pastry brush and lightly apply the marinade instead of letting it sit in the juices like this.
Add Sauce in the Last Hour
After 2 hours open the smoker again. Remove the ribs from the foil packets, being careful not to spill the mop everywhere. Place the ribs directly back on the grill. Then baste them with the barbecue sauce. Close the lid and cook them for the last hour.
After about an hour, the ribs should be done.
How Tender is Too Tender?
You often hear about how in good recipes, the meat “falls of the bone.” I learned first-hand that you don’t want that when smoking or grilling ribs. Why? Because they are hard to handle. This photo shows the ribs literally falling off the bone. They were hard to take off the grill. (Next time, I think I’ll use less mop and a higher temperature for the second hour of cooking.) That aside, the meat was beyond tender, and full of flavor. The smoker added the right amount of smokiness to the ribs, and the fresh, homemade barbecue sauce was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy, tangy, garlicky goodness that can only be homemade. Smoked Pork Ribs with Spicy Barbecue Sauce is a crowd-pleaser and one that i’ll be making again.
My other tip…be sure to have extra wipes on hand!
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Smoked Pork Ribs with Spicy Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back pork ribs
For the Rub
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 cup brown sugar (or Swerve brown sugar)
- 1/2 cup paprika
- 2 tbsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
For the Barbecue Sauce
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup ketchup warmed
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (or Swerve brown sugar)
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cayenne
For the "Mop"
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp rub
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (or Swerve brown sugar)
Special Equipment
- Smoker
- heavy duty foil
- rimmed baking sheet
- hickory pellets
- pastry brush
Instructions
Prepare the Ribs (night before)
- If the membrane is not already removed, do so now. Using a knife or kitchen shears, score the membrane across one of the ribs. Use a paper towel to grab the ends and pull off. Dry off ribs.
- Rub the racks with extra virgin olive oil, making sure to divide evenly between racks.
- In a bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dry rub and rub into ribs. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Prep the Traeger
- If the grease tray pan is not already covered with heavy duty foil or lined with a Traeger liner, then do it now.
- Check the pellet hopper and make sure it is filled with pellets. I used Hickory.
Smoke the Ribs (3 hours)
- When ready to cook, plug in the Traeger and turn it on.
- Turn the dial to SMOKE, open the lid, and let the smoke get going for about 5 minutes.
- Add ribs, bone-side down and close lid. Smoke for 3 hours.
- While ribs are cooking, make the barbecue sauce. In extra virgin olive oil, lightly saute garlic in a skillet over medium-low heat. Careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Simmer for 15 minutes until thick, then set aside and turn off stove.
Cook the Ribs (2 hours)
- After 3 hours, open lid, transfer ribs to a rimmed baking sheet and close lid. Then, turn up the temperature to 225 degrees.
- While Traeger is heating up, prep the ribs in foil packets. Start by tearing off two large sheets, enough to cover one rack of ribs plus a few inches more. Place a rack on the sheet.
- Using a spoon, drizzle a little bit of the "mop" evenly over the rack until it is just wet.
- Take the second sheet of foil, lay over the top--careful not to press it onto the rack--and crimp the edges so that it becomes a tightly sealed foil packet.
- Repeat process for second rack.
- Return ribs to the Traeger and cook for 2 hours.
Finish the Ribs (1 hour)
- Open lid. Carefully remove the ribs from the foil and place directly on the grill grate. Discard foil.
- Using a pastry brush, coat the ribs with barbecue sauce and close lid until the sauce sets, which can be 30 minutes to an hour. Internal temperature of ribs should be about 185 degrees.
- Let ribs set for a few minutes before serving.
Clean & Shut Down Traeger (while meat is resting)
- Clean and shut down the Traeger. Using a brass-bristle barbecue brush, brush down the grill to remove extra bits of meat. Try to avoid using the scraper part of the brush because you might chip the porcelain on the grate.
- Rub down the grates with half an onion, or extra fat trimmings if you have any. This will clean and coat it.
- On the controller, turn dial to the SHUT DOWN setting and close the lid. The induction fan will still run for about 10 minutes and then automatically stop.
- Turn off the Traeger, unplug it, and store away any extension cords.
After Dinner/Next Day Cleanup (when Traeger is cool)
- Remove foil from grease bucket, throw away, and reline.
- Throw away foil liner and replace. Note: The grates will be super dirty. Use gloves.
- With a clean rag, wipe down exterior of any ash or particles.
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