How bout those teeth???!! What an awesome afternoon slow cooking these spicy, sweet and smoky racks of cheshire pork spare ribs. Rubbed with a blend of ancho chili, roasted garlic and brown sugar, these hogs were prepared alongside a smoldering pit of white hot charcoal, apple and hickory wood embers in my Twin Eagles Pellet Grill to tender, bite-from-the-bone perfection. Finished directly over the coals with layer upon caramelized layer of a thick and tangy homemade barbecue sauce. Plated family-style and served with two handfuls of ice cold Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Amber Märzen. Honestly, what more could a guy ask for?! -Cheers and many blessings to you all, David
Smoky Ancho Chili and Roasted Garlic Rubbed Spare Ribs with a Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce
- 2 slabs pork spare ribs, trimmed and silver skin removed
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons Hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Roasted granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- Kosher salt and fresh ground peppercorn
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup cheap lager beer
- Sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, homemade recipe or store-bought
Rinse the ribs with cold water, then pat entirely dry with paper towel and remove the underside silver skin. Lay the trimmed ribs over a plastic wrap-lined baking sheet, then massage a liberal degree of mustard and hot sauce, all seasonings, salt and pepper across both sides of the slab. Wrap the ribs tightly with underlying plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours.
Meanwhile, if preparing a homemade barbecue sauce, do so at this time.
At least 30 minutes prior to cooking, remove ribs from refrigeration and plastic to elevate towards room temperature, then preheat grill to approximately 250°F by igniting a full chimney of charcoal and dispensing into the center chamber of the grill floor, *adding a half chimney of charcoal to the pile every 30minutes to maintain temperature.
Rest ribs bone-side down over the indirectly-heated outside grill grates. Slow cook untouched for 3 hours. Remove the ribs from smoker, wrap in a double-layer of tin foil filled with a couple slabs of butter, a 1/2 cup of apple cider and 1/2 cup of lager beer. Place ribs back in the pellet grill for another 2 hours.
Pull ribs from the smoker one final time – peel away tin foil and discard liquids. Place ribs back on the grill uncovered for 15-20 minutes and begin intermittently caramelizing one layer of barbecue sauce upon another, until juices run clear in the ribs and the internal temp reaches 180°F.
Remove ribs from grill, place on a cutting board and rest 10-15 minutes prior to carving.