Do you have a new patio and a grill that you want to show off to friends and neighbors? Here’s an excellent recipe that will showcase the quality of your grill and leave a memory of how much they enjoyed spending time on your new porch or patio.
Everyone who lives in the south knows that the only way you’re going to get ribs that can be in with a fork is to cook them “slow and low.” Traditionally, smoking is performed at about 225°F for six hours, but it isn’t easy to find that much time to cook.
Our recipe uses cherry juice and beer to make a sauna of sorts. This sauna is used to speed up the cooking process, while retaining the tenderness that you want in your ribs. The intense and distinct flavors of cherry, cinnamon and allspice will be remembered by your guests until you outdo yourself at your next BBQ.
Ingredients:
3 slabs ribs with the membrane removed
1 bottle Stubb’s Barbecue Rub
3 cups cherry wood chips
Aluminum foil for smoking envelopes
Foil turkey roasting pan
1 cup beer (Shiner Bock or Amber Bock are both excellent choices)
1 cup tart and unsweetened cherry juice
1 cup 100% natural honey
1 a bottle of Stubbs BBQ Sauce (whichever one you like best)
Instructions:
Soak 2 cups of the cherry wood chips in water for an hour and a half. You will need to preheat your grill to approximately 325°.
Rinse the ribs under cool, not cold, water and pat dry them with paper towels. Slice your rack of ribs down the middle to make 2 half racks of ribs. If the butcher shop didn’t already remove the silvery membranes from the bone side of the racks, remove them now.
Rub the “bone side” of the racks with about a quarter of the Stubb’s Barbecue Rub. Place the remaining stubs rob into the meat side of the ribs. You should let the ribs at 20 to 30 minutes before cooking to absorb the full flavor of the rub.
About 15 minutes before you put the ribs on the grill, create two foil smoking envelopes (see instructions below), and put one on the grill to get started.
Put the ribs on the grill with the meat side up in the indirect cooking zone. Laying ribs flat requires a lot of space. Many rows do not have the space available, so the owners use what are called rib racks, which hold the ribs on end. Cover the grill and cook for about 90 minutes at 325°F. After cooking the ribs for 30 minutes,you should place the 2nd foil envelope on the grill.
Place 1 cup of Shiner Bock beer and 1 cup cherry juice in the foil pan. Take the ribs off the grill. Baste both sides of the racks with honey and place in the pan with the “meat side” up. You may have to overlap the racks a little bit to make them fit. After covering your ribs with aluminum foil, you can place the ribs on your grill’s indirect heat zone.
Cook with the grill closed for another hour until tender and cooked through. Test to see that the meat pierces easily with a toothpick. If necessary, cook your ribs a little bit longer, and if the liquid seems to run low. At more beer and cherry juice.
at this point, move the racks of ribs out of the foil pan and put them onto the direct heat zone of the grill. Baste the ribs with your barbecue sauce and cook for about 2 minutes on each side. Baste with a little more sauce and repeat.
Cut the ribs apart for, your guests convenience, and serve them on a large, pre-warmed platter.
Foil smoking envelope instructions: Spread a layer of dry wood chips in the center of a large foil sheet. Top with a layer of wet wood chips. Fold and seal the foil closed into a flat envelope, and then perforate the top with holes using a wooden skewer or fork. Place the smoking envelope directly on the cooking surface above the fire, or place it on top of the gas grill diffusers below the cooking surface and above the burner.
Side Note: This recipe is great when you are barbecuing away from home. The ribs should be precooked but you need to stop at the point where you take them out of the foil pan.. grab your aluminum foil and wrap the racks tightly, you can now refrigerate them until you are almost ready to serve them. Using the grill at your location, follow the rest of the recipe and baste with the barbecue sauce. Don’t forget that the ribs will take longer to reheat so you will need more than 2 minutes per side.