PProvenance
Enter
BBQ Ribs
American · United States

BBQ Ribs

American BBQ ribs (specifically St. Louis-cut pork spare ribs) represent one of the great slow-cooking traditions — rubbed with a spice blend, cooked low and slow over indirect smoke for 4-6 hours until the meat pulls cleanly from the bone but does not fall off (falling-off-the-bone ribs are over-cooked), then glazed with sauce in the final 30 minutes to set a sticky, lacquered crust. The smoke ring — a pink band beneath the surface — is the mark of authentic low-and-slow BBQ.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
Serves4
Total270 min (includes resting)
Sourced0of 10 in BC
Cook
‹ Previous · Banana Bread|Next · Buffalo Wings ›
I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

1.5kg
pork ribs
baby back, membrane removed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tbsp
brown sugar
packed
Your own market
2 tbsp
smoked paprika
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
fine sea salt
Your own market
1 tbsp
Tellicherry black pepper
Your own market
1 tbsp
garlic powder
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
onion powder
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
cayenne pepper
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
120ml
apple cider vinegar
Your own market
300ml
BBQ sauce
quality commercial brand or house-made
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
II

The Method

1
Combine brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne in small bowl; rub evenly over both sides of ribs and between bones, pressing gently.
2
Wrap ribs tightly in butcher paper; let rest at room temperature 30 minutes (or refrigerate up to 12 hours).
3
Place ribs in smoker set to 110°C using oak or hickory wood; smoke for 4 hours until meat pulls back 5mm from bone ends and internal temp reaches 93°C.
4
Remove from smoker; brush generously with mixed apple cider vinegar and BBQ sauce; return to smoker for additional 30 minutes.
5
Remove ribs; brush with final coat of BBQ sauce; rest uncovered 10 minutes.
6
Slice between bones; serve with extra sauce on the side.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where BBQ ribs live or die is the stall — at around 155-165F internal temperature, the moisture evaporating from the surface of the ribs cools them at the same rate they are gaining heat. The temperature plateaus for 1-2 hours. Do not raise the heat. This is when the foil wrap is most useful — wrapping eliminates the evaporative cooling and powers through the stall. After wrapping, the temperature rises steadily.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
Woodford Reserve Distillery · Kentucky Bourbon Country
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia

Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.

Without alcohol

No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
← PreviousBanana BreadOne standard · no exceptions