Source:
Raichlen on Ribs by Steven
Raichlen (Workman Publishing, 2006)
Method: Indirect grilling followed by direct
grilling
Serves: 4
For the mop sauce:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup apple cider
3 tablespoons bourbon, or 3 more tablespoons apple
cider
For the rub and ribs:
2 tablespoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dry mustard (preferably Colman’s)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons of good quality soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
2 racks baby back pork ribs (4 to 5 pounds total)
Lemon Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce (see recipe
below), or your favorite barbecue sauce
You’ll also need:
1-1/2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably hickory
or apple), soaked for 1 hour in water to cover,
then drained; barbecue mop or spray bottle
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.
Make the rub: Place the salt, brown sugar, paprika,
pepper, mustard, garlic powder, soy sauce and
celery seed in a small bowl and mix with your
fingers, breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar
or garlic powder.
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 1 tablespoon of the 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 350 degrees F). 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 heat.
(If your grill has limited space, stand the racks
of ribs upright in a rib rack.) 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, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours in all,
mopping once or twice more. When the ribs are
cooked, the meat will have shrunk back from the
ends of the bones by about 1/4 inch. If using a
charcoal grill, replenish the coals as needed.
Just before serving, brush the ribs on both sides
with Lemon Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce 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.
Serve the ribs at once with the remaining barbecue
sauce on the side. Serve the reserved rub on the
side.
