I’m going to cut right to the chase and share an unpopular opinion. Neither Kirk, nor I, typically like smoked ribs. Specifically, we don’t enjoy the traditional, sticky sweet, brown sugar and molasses preparation that many folks opt for when making smoked ribs. If you are a person who prefers your ribs with a sweet finish, more power to you. However, it’s just not for us so Kirk took a hard look at the standard process, threw out the stuff we don’t care for (sweet, sticky, mushy) and leaned into the stuff we really like (savory, tangy, meaty). I’m happy to say, we’ve landed on a smoked rib recipe that we’d happily eat daily.
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AlbuKirky Seasonings Smoked Ribs
What makes this recipe different? First, it leans much more savory than traditional recipes. There’s no brown sugar or large quantities of molasses. There is a small amount of molasses in the mop sauce just to provide a tasty counterbalance to the acidity of the apple cider vinegar. But it’s all about balance.
Next, as previously mentioned, the mop sauce contains a hefty amount of apple cider vinegar. There is just something about pork that shines when something tangy is introduced to the mix.
And finally, the addition of our Red Chile BBQ Rub. Warm notes from the red chile and cumin, combined with more traditional BBQ spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves work in tandem with the smoke to produce a rich, savory, not too salty, finish.
Oh! And finally, finally…finishing the ribs in an open foil “boat” allows the meat to stay moist while picking up the flavors of the tasty mop sauce it’s sitting in. But the top will continue to accumulate that perfect bark texture. Doing a full foil wrap sometimes over steams, resulting in a denigration of the bark and a mushy, overcooked texture to the meat. The goal is NOT that the meat is falling off the bones, but rather pulls cleanly away while eating.
AlbuKirky Seasonings Smoked Ribs
Equipment
- Spray bottle, sauce mop or silicon brush
- Heavy duty aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 2 racks St. Louis cut pork ribs
- 2 cups apple juice
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- AlbuKirky Seasonings Red Chile BBQ Rub
- AlbuKirky Seasonings Red Chile BBQ Sauce
Instructions
- Place one of the rib racks facedown and carefully remove the membrane from the back. The easiest way to do this is to find a loose corner, firmly grip it with a paper towel and pull. Trim away any scraggly strands of excess fat and meat.
- With the rib rack still facing down, use a small, sharp knife, to place a couple of small punctures in between each rib bone. This allows the rub and mop sauce to penetrate these spaces during the cook. Repeat these steps with the second rack.
- Season the backside of each rack with AlbuKirky Seasonings Red Chile BBQ Rub and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Flip the racks over and season the topside. Refrigerate uncovered for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight (preferred).
- The next day, make mop sauce by stirring together apple juice, apple cider vinegar and molasses. Mix well to thoroughly dilute the molasses. Pour into a food safe spay bottle. This can also be applied during the cook using a brush or sauce mop if a spray bottle is not handy.
- Set up grill, smoker or Big Green Egg for an indirect cook. Add wood chunks or piece of wood for extra smoke flavor. Kirk uses Jealous Devil Charcoal and mesquite wood.
- Maintain cooking temp between 225℉ – 250℉. Place ribs face up on the grate. Smoke for 2-3 hours or until the internal temperature reads between 160℉ – 170℉. Spritz or mop ribs with the apple juice mixture every 20-30 minutes.
- Once the ribs have smoked 2-3 hours and the internal temperature reaches at least 160℉, take a large piece of heavy duty foil and place the rack of ribs in the middle. Roll up the edges creating a boat around the ribs leaving the top exposed. Repeat with the second rack of ribs and return them to the smoker. Pour about 1/4 cup – 1/3 cup of the apple juice mixture into each boat.
- Allow the ribs to smoke another 1-2 hours. Continue to spritz or mop the ribs with the apple juice mixture every 20 minutes. Also, periodically brush the ribs with the apple juice mixture and drippings accumulating in the boat.
- Ribs are finished cooking when the internal temperature reads between 190℉ – 195℉ in the thickest parts of the meat. (Approximately 4 hours total cook time.) Remove ribs from the boats and allow to rest 15-20 minutes.
- Pour the drippings and mop sauce from the foil boats into a large jar or measuring cup and skim off the fat. In a separate pan, warm up some AlbuKirky Seasonings Red Chile BBQ Sauce or Duke City Sweet Sauce. Stir in some of the mop sauce/drippings and serve with the ribs.
On the Side
We served these meaty morsels with cornbread and beans. Turns out, this is my new favorite dinner combo! But they would be delicious with the Bacon Fat Flour Tortillas found HERE. And the Broccoli Slaw found HERE. I’ve been obsessed with beans lately, so they may show up in a future blogpost. I added AlbuKirky Seasonings Red Chile BBQ Rub to these and wow! Were they good! Try adding some to your beans next time, for a little something extra.
Stock up on our rubs and sauces at AlbuKirkySeasonings.com and keep up with what we’re cooking on our Facebook and Instagram pages. See you next time!
