So Roman has been tinkering around with this recipe for a while. Different rubs, different sauces, different cooking methods and just lots of practice. We had 11 people coming over for dinner and he was determined to get it right so warm up for this night included a practice session on the Tuesday night which meant we were starving waiting for the ribs to be finished which was 9.00pm.
It was worth it because by Jove I think he’s got it. Here are the step by step photos
Rubbing the ribs
The secret to any incredible result is what you start with. So, for this little ditty, we got us some Fred Flintstone-style ribs from the West Coast Market. If you remember the opening sequence to the Flintstones’ cartoon, the family car flips over when the waitress places the Brontosaurus Ribs on the side of the car…these were just about the same size!
Moving along, you have to start with the dry rib rub, Roman has been favoring a recipe from Righteous Urban Barbecue in New York. Don’t over do it here but make sure you’ve got an even coating that will explode with flavor no matter where you bite the rib. Have your egg pre-heated to 275F and insert the place setter, drip pan, grate and rib rack.
Ribs after 2-3hrs
It is really important at this point to try and stabilize the temperature before you add the ribs. This is also a good point to add in a handful of presoaked wood chips. All I can get at the local store is Hickory but I must say, the strong smokey taste adds to the result. At this point add the ribs, close the egg and patiently cook for around 2-3hrs depending on the thickness of your ribs. Again it is really important that you have stabilized the cooking temperature. Try not to peek…the egg must be trusted!
Steeping your ribs
The next step is steeping the ribs. You need to create tin foil packets for each rack and in the base of each pack sprinkle brown sugar and honey before placing the rack in on top. Then sprinkle in brown sugar and honey on top of the rack pressing it in very gently to make sure it sticks. Then pour in about a cup of apple cider and seal up the packet.
After 60mins
Do this with all your racks and return to the grill for around an hour. After an hour has passed take your ribs out of the packets and smother in your favourite barbecue sauce, which in the Matla household is currently the Kansas City sauce recipe with a few modifications out of the Big Green Egg cook book. At this point return the ribs to the grill for about 30mins then remove and wrap tightly in tinfoil and a tea cloth and leave to rest for about another 20-30mins (if you can wait that long because by this point they smell incredible).
Finished Ribs
Heather was never a big rib fan until these ribs and now she can’t get enough of them.