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.
All Southerners, especially those from Texas, know that the only way you are going to get ribs that are “fall-off-the-bone-tender” 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.
By using a mixture of cherry juice and beer, we are going to cook the ribs quicker. Yet we can do this without sacrificing the tenderness that we all love in our 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. Preheat your grill to 325°F.
Rinse the ribs under cool, not cold, water and pat dry them with paper towels. Cut and divide each rack of ribs into 2 half racks. Now remove the silvery membranes from the bone side if the butcher shop didn’t already do it for you..
Rub the “bone side” of the racks with about a quarter of the Stubb’s Barbecue Rub. Rub the remaining rub into the meat side of your ribs. Let them sit for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking.
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.
Now its time to put the ribs on the grill. Put the meat side of and remember to place the ribs and indirect heat zone. If your grill isn’t large enough to lay all your racks flat. You may need to use a rib rack, which will hold them 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 finding the grills indirect heat zone, it is time to cover the ribs with aluminum foil and then place them on that 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. You can cook the ribs longer if you think they’re not quite cooked yet, and be sure to check the liquids. Add more cherry juice and beer if they seem to be running low.
Take your racks of ribs out of the foil pan and put them onto the direct heat zone. Take your Stubbs barbecue sauce and baste to both sides of the ribs then cook them for 2 minutes per 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. pre-cook the ribs through all the instructions but stop when they should come out of the pan. You can wrap the racks of ribs in foil and refrigerate them until you are at the party and ready to repeat and baste them. Borrow the grill at your new location, and you can reheat the ribs but do not forget to baste them with barbecue sauce. Don’t forget that the ribs will take longer to reheat so you will need more than 2 minutes per side.