Birthday Ribs for Cynthia!
Anyway, I digress. I purchased two slabs of baby back ribs from Hubers over the weekend and I used this method as explained by none other than “Dr.BBQ” and here’s how it goes:
Dr. BBQ’s famous baby back ribs recipe
2 slabs baby back ribs, membrane on back of ribs removed
2 cups honey
1 1/2 cups apple juice
2 cups of Dr. BBQ’s Sweet and Sticky Glaze (see below)
Dr. BBQ’s rub (see below)
Prepare your cooker for indirect grilling at 275 degrees Fahrenheit, using cherry and hickory wood for flavor – (we used mesquite chunks – about 4 in total). Season the ribs with the rub. Put the ribs into the smoker, meaty site up for two hours. (this was about an hour too long for my ribs – learning point for next time – NEVER USE ANY OTHER RIBS THAN THOSE OF OUR FRIEND THE PIG LADY…Huber’s ribs are good but way too skinny!) Flip the ribs and cook another hour. Remove the ribs to a platter. (Again, use your gut feel here and you’ll be able to tell when the first stage is done!)
Take a double-thick piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil (big enough to wrap a slab of ribs), and slather about 1/3 cup of honey on each sheet, spreading it where the ribs will lie. Place the ribs meaty side down and add more honey on top of the slab. Now crimp the edges of the foil and pour 1/2 cup of apple juice in the bottom. Do this for all three slabs. Loosely close the packets around the ribs and lay them back in the cooker.
Cook another 90 minutes. Carefully unwrap the packets and take out the ribs. Place the ribs back on the cooker, raising the temperature to 350 degrees. Brush with the glaze or barbecue sauce and flip several times for another 20 minutes.
Dr. BBQ’s rub (combine) – NOW THIS WAS YUMMY!!!
1/4 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated onion
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
Dr. BBQ’s Sweet and Sticky Glaze This is what Dr. BBQ always uses to finish his ribs and chicken at BBQ cookoffs around his country.
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (Optional)
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon hot sauce of choice
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, stir well, and simmer for 15 minutes to reduce and thicken – a great sauce indeed!
All in all I would say the ribs turned out about a 5/10 to be honest and as anyone knows, you’ve got to try these things a few times before you get the hang of it. Thanks to Dr.BBQ for the sauce and rub recipes – those I’ll use again combined with Pig Lady’s spare ribs and a slightly different timing method…) The ribs were sticky and gooey however I managed to dry them out completely. Edible? Yes, would I pay for them in a restaurant? Probably. Would I make the same mistakes again? No way!
So there you are, not a perfect result but good enough to share and prompt myself and others to try this again.
Happy eating and Happy Birthday Cynthia!
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PS – we then had a “Pimp my Peeps” contest for dessert – I liked Alex’s funeral theme (only a 13 year old would come up with something that morbid!)
In order or appearance:
Peeps watching TV by Lucy
Decapitating Kozak by Roman
“See no Evil, Speak no Evil, Hear no Evil” by Cynthia
A Peeps Funeral by Alex
The Navy Seals raid on OBL Peep by Heather (really not sure where this one came from?!?!?)
