Serves 4 to 6
4 racks baby back ribs
1 recipe Rib Marinade (see below)
3 cups BBQ rub
1 recipe Rib Spritz (see below)
1 cup apple juice
1 recipe Hog Glaze (see below)
Rib Marinade:
Makes 9 cups
1 liter ginger ale
1 quart orange juice
1 1/4 cups low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup salt
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Stir well to thoroughly incorporate. Pour into a large bottle or other container and store, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.
Rib Spritz:
Makes 5 cups
3 cups apple juice
2 cups white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons liquid imitation butter
In a large spray bottle (one that will hold at least 5 cups of liquid), combine all the ingredients. Shake well to blend.
Hog Glaze:
Makes 8 cups
2 cups vinegar-based barbecue sauce
2 18-ounce jars apple jelly
2 cups light corn syrup
4 oz Molasses
Combine all the ingredients in a blender, and blend until thoroughly combined, about 3 minutes. Pour into a clean bowl, using a plastic spatula to scrape it all. Store, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.
What you’ll need:
Cutting board
Sharp boning knife or paring knife
Paper towels or clean kitchen towels
One at a time, place the racks on a cutting board, bone side up, and remove the membrane (or “silver”): At whichever end of the rack seems easier, work your fingers underneath the membrane until you have 2 to 3 inches cleared. Grab the membrane with a towel and gently but firmly pull it away from the ribs. Pulling off the membrane exposes loose fat that will need trimming so take your paring knife and cut out any excess fat. Now the racks are ready.
Set the racks in an aluminum baking pan and cover them completely with the Rib Marinade. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and let it sit for 4 hours, either in the refrigerator or, if you’re in a picnic situation, in a cooler packed with ice.
When you are ready to cook them, remove the ribs from the marinade. Pat them dry with towels. Apply the rub lightly around the edges of the ribs, over the back side of them, and on top. Then let the ribs sit, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. In the meantime, heat a smoker to 250 degrees.
Put the ribs in a baking pan, put it in the smoker, and cook for 2 hours. After first 30 minutes of cooking, spritz the ribs. Continue to spritz at 15-minute intervals for the duration of the cooking time. (The ribs should be uncovered so they can absorb as much smoke as possible.)
Remove the pan from the smoker.Pour the apple juice into a clean aluminum baking pan. Place the ribs in the pan, bone side down, and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Place the pan in the smoker and cook for 1 hour.
Remove the pan from the smoker and shut off the heat on the smoker. Remove the foil, and apply the glaze to the top and bottom of the slabs of ribs. Re-cover the pan with foil, return it to the smoker, and let the ribs rest in the smoker for 30 minutes as the temperature gradually decreases.
Remove the ribs from the pan and let them rest for 10 minutes on a wooden cutting board. Then cut and serve.
