Sunday Ribs from Ross

by Cindi SutterFounder of The Spirited Table® - Recipe by Ross Bowen

In honor of our Tastemaker in Residence Ross Bowen, and his upcoming appearance tomorrow on KFAN with Meatsauce, I'm bringing back an easy, and award winning BBQ recipe from Ross!

My competition BBQ team, Two Little Pigs BBQ, won the first place in the State Championship Hudson Valley BBQ Championship in New York 2009.  Here is our recipe.

Ingredients

Pork spare ribs
Slabs Chicken and Rib rub
Butter
Brown sugar
Honey
Blues Hog Original Sauce

Instructions

  1. I prefer pork spare ribs to baby back ribs.  
  2. Before applying rub, be sure to remove the membrane on the bottom of the rack of ribs.  Insert a small knife under one end of the membrane and then grab hold of it with a paper towel and pull it off.
  3. Place the ribs upside down and apply rub liberally.  We used Slabs Chicken and Rib rub.  After thirty minutes, reapply rub to any wet looking spots.  Flip over and repeat on top.
  4. Bring your smoker or grill up to 225°.  If using a grill, be sure to set up a portion for indirect smoking.  Add smoking wood – I recommend cherry, because of the beautiful mahogany color it imparts to the ribs.
  5. Remove ribs after about 2 1/2 hours.  
  6. Place three tabs of butter and ½ cup of brown sugar in a sheet of heavy duty foil over an area about the size of the rack, then drizzle honey over that mix.
  7. Place the ribs meat side down in the foil, and add butter, brown sugar, and honey to the bottom (now the top) of the ribs.  Seal tightly in the foil, then wrap with one more piece of foil.
  8. After another hour and a half, pull ribs off smoker and remove from foil.
  9. Sauce the bottom and top of the ribs with Blues Hog Original sauce.  Return to smoker and cook for ½ hour, while the sauce sets up.
  10. Remove and serve.