Did 2 racks of pork short ribs....
Rib Rub as follows:
8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno seasoning or ceyeanne (sp?) adjust for heat level...I could not find jalapeno today so I used 1/4 tsp of 30,000 btu (i.e. nuclear hot) ceyeanne that I had around
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Mix in a bowl with your fingers and set aside for now
And the Mop sauce....
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup apple cider
3 tablespoons bourbon (knob creek)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Make the mop sauce: Melt the butter in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the cider, bourbon, and soy sauce. Keep warm until ready to use.
Here is the prep....total time about 20 mins....
Making the BBQ sauce....recipe below (its easy, and great)
Lemon Brown Sugar BBQ sauce:
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
2 teaspoons dry mustard (preferably Colman’s)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, lemon zest and juice, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, mustard, onion powder, and pepper in a nonreactive saucepan and whisk to mix.
2. Gradually bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat and let simmer until thick and flavorful, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more lemon juice if necessary. Transfer the sauce to a bowl or clean jars and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the sauce, covered, until serving time; let it return to room temperature before using. The sauce can be refrigerated for several weeks.
and the rub is mixed..........
everything simmering on the stove........made the house smell great!
Prep the grill, I lined the bottom with foil to ease in clean up after. This is a indirect cook so I placed 2 drip pans under where the ribs will cook and kept a open space near the vent for the fire box.
add the "wood" to the fire box, 1 hunk of apple and 1 small chunk of hickory to start.......
here is the procedure for how I do my ribs (I also use the 3,2,1 method which I will explain below) but tonight will my normal method.
Prepare the ribs: Place a rack of ribs meat side down on a baking sheet. Remove the thin, papery membrane from the back of the rack by inserting a slender implement, such as a butter knife or the tip of a meat thermometer, under it. The best place to start is on one of the middle bones. Using a dishcloth, paper towel, or pliers to gain a secure grip, peel off the membrane. Repeat with the remaining rack.
Set aside 2 tablespoon of rub for serving. Sprinkle the remaining rub over both sides of the ribs, rubbing it onto the meat. Cover the ribs with plastic wrap and refrigerate them while you set up the grill.
Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium (325 to 350F). Place a large drip pan in the center of the grill under the grate.
When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate. Place the ribs bone side down in the center of the grate, over the drip pan and away from the head. If cooking on a charcoal grill, toss half of the wood chips on each mound of coals. Cover the grill and cook the ribs for 45 minutes.
Mop the ribs on both sides with the mop sauce. Re-cover the grill and continue cooking the ribs until well browned, cooked through, and tender enough to pull apart with your fingers, 45 minutes to 1 hour longer, 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours in all. When the ribs are cooked, the meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones by about ¼ inch. Mop the ribs again every 15 minutes and, if using a charcoal grill, replenish the coals as needed.
Just before serving, brush the ribs on both sides with some BBQ suace and move them directly over the fire. Grill the ribs until the barbecue sauce is browned and bubbling, 1 to 3 minutes per side.
Transfer the ribs to a large platter or cutting board. Let the ribs rest for a few minutes, then cut the racks in half or into individual ribs. Sprinkle a little of the reserved rub over the ribs and serve at once with the remaining barbecue sauce on the side.
Ok back to the main event!
Ribs go on............
uh oh....Kansas weather is up to something......
Shit......check the radar....double shit.....
well the weather and wind made me baby sit the grill more than normal, wind will really mess with your temps....but.....all is well and here is how they ended up....
time to put some Jimmy Buffet on the stereo and get up to my elbows in ribs.....
Oh the 3,2,1 method.....here goes (its more labor intensive but makes outstanding ribs):
The 3-2-1 method of smoking ribs is not my original idea but is a process that tends to yield very consistent results and I do use it occasionally when I want my ribs to be falling off the bone.
The 3-2-1 method of smoking ribs is not rocket science.. just a series of basic instructions that will do some magic on your ribs and make them more tender that you could ever imagine.
The 3-2-1 method starts out by preparing the ribs as normal.. removing the membrane, dusting with a rub or with just some salt and pepper if you prefer and then onto the smoker grate for about 3 hours.
I say "about" very loosely since it a visual cue that must tell you when to move to the next stage.
This first stage is the "3" in the equation and is over when you see the meat starting to pull back from the bone about a quarter inch. This normally requires about 3 hours or so if you are able to maintain 225 degrees in your smoker.
The second stage of the process is removing the ribs from the smoker and wrapping them in heavy duty foil. Just before closing up the foil, splash on some apple juice.
Place the ribs back in the smoker wrapped in foil and let them cook for 2 hours.
This is the "2" in the formula for the most tender ribs you ever tasted.
When the second stage is over, remove the foil and place the ribs back on the smoker grate unwrapped to firm them up a little before serving.
You are now to the last and final stage in the process.. the "1".
Keep a close eye on the ribs at this point and remove them when they reach 172 degrees which should take about 45 minutes to an hour.
Let the ribs sit on the counter for about 15 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.
