Memphis-Style Ribs

7/28/2008

Equipment:

1 cups wood chips (preferably hickory) soaked for 1 hour in cold water to cover

Ribs and Rub:

3 racks pork spareribs (about 7 pounds)

cup sweet paprika

4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

4 teaspoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoons celery salt

1 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoons ground cumin

Mop Sauce:

2 cups cider vinegar

cup yellow (ballpark) mustard

2 teaspoons salt

Prepare ribs and rub: Remove thin, paper skin from back of each rack of ribs by pulling it off in a sheet with your fingers, using a corner of a kitchen towel to gain a secure grip. Combine paprika, black pepper, brown sugar, salt, celery salt, cayenne, garlic powder, dry mustard, and cumin in a small bowl and whisk to mix. Rub two thirds of this mixture over ribs on both sides, then transfer ribs to a roasting pan. Cover and let cure in the refrigerator 4 to 8 hours.

Prepare mob sauce: Mix together the cider vinegar, mustard, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Set up grill for indirect grilling and place a large drip pan in the center. If using gas grill, place all of the wood chips in the smoker box and preheat grill to high; when smoke appears, reduce heat to medium. If using a charcoal grill, preheat it to medium.

When ready to cook, if using a charcoal grill, toss wood chips on the coals. Brush and oil grill grate. Arrange ribs on the grate over drip pan. Cover the grill and smoke cook ribs for 1 hour.

When ribs have cooked an hour, uncover the grill and brush ribs with mop sauce. Remove grill and continue cooking the ribs until tender and almost done, to hour longer for baby back ribs, to 1 hour longer for spareribs. The ribs are done when the meat is very tender and has shrunk back from the ends of the bones. If using a charcoal grill, add 10 to 12 fresh coals to each side after 1 hour. Fifteen minutes before ribs are done, season with remaining rub, sprinkling on.

Yield: 6 servings

Source: The Barbecue Bible