Smoked Salt-Brined Barbecued Pork Ribs
Barbecued ribs are a delicacy born of the ingenuity of the poorest—the slaves and servants who were tossed bones by their masters and transformed gristly, fatty “spare ribs” into a complex delicious, finger-sucking feast—the New World equivalent of the French potage. The trick to cooking ribs is keeping them moist: brining is a must. Even the most delicious housemade bacon would envy the subtle woodsy notes infused from the smoked salt used in this brine. Bacony ribs glazed with a rich and spicy sauce: it’s like Christmas in July.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Root of Evil Barbecue Sauce
Preparation
Step 1
To make a brine for the ribs, mix the cider, salt, and pepper in a large (two-gallon) zipper-lock bag until the salt dissolves. Cut the racks of ribs in half and add to the brine. Seal the zipper, leaving about an inch open; push on the bag to release any trapped air through the opening, and close the zipper completely. Massage the liquid gently into the meat and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours. If you brine the ribs overnight and won’t be cooking them until evening, remove the ribs from the brine in the morning to keep them from overbrining; store them, wrapped in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.
Step 2
Preheat a grill for indirect medium heat (about 325°F). If you are using a charcoal grill, this means banking your coal bed to one side or at opposite ends of the fire box, leaving open an area large enough to hold the racks of ribs. If you have a two-burner gas grill, turn one side on to medium and leave the other side off. If you have a three- or more-burner grill turn the outside burners on to medium and leave the center burner(s) off.
Step 3
Brush the grill grate thoroughly with a wire brush to clean it and coat it lightly with oil. Remove the ribs from the brine, discard the brine, and pat the ribs dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. Put the ribs on the grill, bone side down, away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ribs registers about 155°F, about 1 hour.
Step 4
While the ribs are cooking, bring the ingredients for the barbecue sauce to a simmer in a small saucepan, stirring as needed. Reserve one-third of the sauce for dipping at the table. Set the remaining sauce aside.
Step 5
When the ribs are almost cooked, brush them with half of the remaining sauce, turn them sauce side down, cover the grill, and cook for 3 minutes. Brush the unglazed surfaces with the remaining sauce, turn he ribs sauce side down, cover, and cook for another 3 minutes.
Step 6
Remove the ribs to a cutting board and cut into one-or two-rib sections. Place the ribs on a large serving platter and serve with the reserved sauce poured over the top or in a bowl for dipping.
