Shelly's Recipe

Kansas City–Style Spareribs

Category: Ribs

FOR THE BOURBON AND BROWN SUGAR BARBECUE SAUCE
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup bourbon
3 tablespoons cider vinegar, or more as needed
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (see Notes)
1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE RIBS AND RUB
2 racks pork spareribs (each 3 to 4 pounds, see Notes)
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons sweet paprika
3 tablespoons coarse salt (kosher or sea)
2 tablespoons lemon pepper
1 tablespoon granulated garlic

FOR THE SPRAY
3/4 cup apple cider
3/4 cup bourbon
YOU’LL ALSO NEED
A spray bottle and a funnel; 3 cups wood chips or chunks, preferably hickory, soaked in water to cover for 1 hour, then drained

1. Make the bourbon and brown sugar barbecue sauce: Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, bourbon, cider vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, liquid smoke, hot sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper in a saucepan and whisk to mix.

2. Gradually bring the barbecue sauce to a simmer over medium heat and let simmer until thick and flavorful, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more cider vinegar if necessary; the sauce should be highly seasoned. Transfer the sauce to a bowl or clean jars and let cool to room temperature.

You’ll have about 2 cups of sauce. Chill it, covered, until serving time; let it return to room temperature before using. The sauce can be refrigerated for several weeks.

3. Prepare the ribs and rub: Place a rack of ribs meat side down on a work surface. 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.

4. Place the granulated sugar, paprika, salt, lemon pepper, and granulated garlic in a bowl and stir with your fingers to mix. Generously sprinkle the rub on both sides of the ribs, rubbing the seasonings onto the meat. (This rub is called a 5-4-3-2-1 rub, making it easy to remember the proportions of the ingredients.) You can cook the ribs right away, but you’ll get a richer, more complex flavor if you let the ribs cure in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight.

5. Make the spray: Using a funnel, pour the cider and bourbon into a spray bottle. Shake the bottle to mix. Set the cider and bourbon mixture aside.

6. Set up the grill for indirect grilling, place a drip pan in the center, and preheat the grill to medium. If you are using a gas grill, add the wood chips or chunks to the smoker box or place them in a smoker pouch under the grate before you preheat the grill (see Notes).

7. When ready to cook, if you are using a charcoal grill, toss 1½ cups of the wood chips or chunks on the coals. Place the racks of ribs, bone side down, in the center of the grate over the drip pan and away from the heat and cover the grill. Cook the ribs until cooked through yet tender enough to pull apart with your fingers, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When the ribs are done the meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones by about 1/2 inch and will be tender enough to pull apart with your fingers. The exterior will be dark, almost black, but not burned. Start spraying the ribs with the cider and bourbon mixture after 30 minutes and spray them again every 30 minutes until they are done. If you are using a charcoal grill, after 1 hour you will need to add fresh coals and another 1 1/2 cups of wood chips or chunks.

8. Transfer the racks of ribs to a large platter or cutting board and cut the racks into individual ribs. Serve the ribs with the bourbon and brown sugar barbecue sauce on the side.

notes: The traditional rib in Kansas City is the pork sparerib—meaty and richly flavorful, although somewhat tougher and slower to cook than the currently more popular baby back. I call for spareribs here. You can use baby backs, but if you do shorten the cooking time by about 30 percent.
Contrary to popular belief, liquid smoke is a natural product, made from distilled wood smoke and water.

To make a smoker pouch, place a 12 by 18–inch piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil on a work surface with a short edge facing you. Place the drained wood chips on the bottom half of the foil and fold the top half over them. Tightly pleat the edges of the foil together to make a sealed pouch. Using the end of a skewer, poke about a dozen holes in the top of the pouch.

Now, if you like ribs with a sweet glaze, you’ll want to brush them with some of that bourbon and brown sugar barbecue sauce when they are close to the end of the grilling time (about five minutes before they are done). Then, move the ribs so they are directly over the fire and grill them until the sauce sizzles and browns.