Country-Style Ribs with Apple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
Because of their varying sizes and meat types, cook times on country-style ribs are a little difficult to pinpoint. True country-style ribs are very thick and can take up to an extra hour of cook time compared to the ones labeled “shoulder-cut country-style ribs.” If your ribs have a large cross-section of loin meat (light pink color), your cook time should be less or the lean loin meat will dry out. Your best gauge of doneness is a simple squeeze with your fingertips. If the meat feels rubbery, it needs more cooking. The meat from a perfectly cooked rib can be easily pinched from the bone. Over the years I have found that country-style ribs are an extremely versatile cut. They can be grilled hot or barbecued low and slow, and they partner well with dry rubs or marinades, sweet or savory. This recipe utilizes both a dry rub and a sweet sauce to highlight the flavor of the tender meat achieved by low-heat indirect cooking. One more word of advice: Don’t be bashful when applying the sauce. Slop it on!
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a small bowl, combine the dry rub ingredients and mix well. Apply generously to the front and back sides of the ribs, patting gently to ensure it will adhere.
Step 2
Build a fire (wood or a combination of charcoal and wood) for indirect cooking by situating the coals on only one side of the grill, leaving the other side void. If using a charcoal cooker, preheat it to 250°F. Place the ribs meat side up on the grill, close the lid, and cook with indirect heat for 3 hours, or until the ribs are tender.
Step 3
Remove the ribs from the cooker and paint with the sauce. Place the ribs back on the cooker, close the lid, and cook over indirect heat for 20 minutes at 250°F. Remove the ribs and serve.
Pitmaster’s Tip
Step 4
During the barbecue process some meat develops a pink ring around its outer edges. This “smoke ring” can sometimes be mistaken for undercooked meat, but it is a natural result of cooking low and slow. This pink tint is not a result of smoke penetrating and coloring the muscle; instead, it is the result of a chemical reaction between nitrogen dioxide and the meat’s pigment.
Step 5
Some view a deep smoke ring as a badge of honor reflecting their cooking skill. I am not one of these people because I have tasted flavorful ’Q without a smoke ring and bland ’Q with a large pink band. There are several ways you can enhance the color and depth of a smoke ring:
Step 6
Meat with a moist surface absorbs nitrogen dioxide more readily. Ensure that the meat stays moist as it cooks by placing a water pan inside the cooker and keeping the cooker’s lid closed.
Step 7
Use wet or fresh-cut (green) wood, providing a moist heat to your cooker.
Step 8
Cook the meat slowly to give the gas more time to react with the pigment.
Step 9
More nitrogen dioxide is produced with burning flames than with smoldering fires, so cook the meat with a hot fire using an indirect cooking method.
Step 10
Prior to cooking, season the meat with a curing agent containing sodium nitrate.
Cooking Method
Step 11
Indirect heat
Suggested Wood
Step 12
Hickory, Apple, Maple
