Memphis-Style Barbecued Spareribs on a Charcoal Grill

By Clatie

Ingredients

• Rub
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (see note)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Ribs
• 2 racks St. Louis-style spareribs, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds each (see note)
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• large disposable aluminum roasting pan
• 1/2 cup wood chips, soaked

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from cooksillustrated.com

Preparation

Step 1

Published July 1, 2010. From Cook's Illustrated.



Why this recipe works:
For a faster charcoal-grilled barbecued spareribs recipe, we opted for a grill-to-oven approach. We rubbed the spareribs with a sugar and spice mixture, then used a modified two-level fire and a chimney starter to extend the life of the flame without opening the grill. Putting a pan of water underneath the cooking grate on the cooler side of the grill helped keep the temperature stable and our Memphis-style spareribs moister. Transferring the barbecued ribs to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet in a moderate oven and cooking them until they reached 195 degrees gave us tender and thick-crusted Memphis-style barbecued spareribs. (less)




Serves 4 to 6


Don’t remove the membrane that runs along the bone side of the ribs; it prevents some of the fat from rendering out, leading to more tender results. Pouring lit briquettes over unlit briquettes provides the low, steady heat necessary for effective smoking. To maintain a constant temperature, manipulate the upper and lower vents of your grill and do not remove the lid any more often than necessary. For less spiciness, reduce the cayenne to 1/2 teaspoon.


1. Combine rub ingredients in small bowl. Place racks on rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle rub on both sides of each rack, rubbing and pressing to adhere. Set racks aside while preparing grill.


2. Combine apple juice and vinegar in small bowl; set aside. Open top and bottom grill vents halfway and arrange 15 unlit charcoal briquettes evenly on 1 side of grill. Place disposable pan filled with 1 inch water on other side of grill. Light large chimney starter filled one-third with charcoal (about 33 briquettes) and allow to burn until coals are half coated with thin layer of ash, about 15 minutes. Empty coals into grill on top of unlit briquettes to cover half of grill. Sprinkle soaked wood chips over coals. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, and heat grate until hot, about 5 minutes; scrape grate clean with grill brush.


3. Place ribs, meat side down, on grate over water pan. Cover grill, positioning top vent over ribs to draw smoke through grill. Cook ribs 45 minutes, adjusting vents to keep temperature inside grill around 250 to 275 degrees. Flip ribs meat side up, turn 180 degrees, and switch their positions so that rack that was nearer fire is on outside. Brush each rack with 2 tablespoons apple juice mixture; cover grill and cook another 45 minutes. About 30 minutes before removing ribs from grill, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.


4. Transfer ribs, meat side up, to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Brush top of each rib with 2 tablespoons apple juice mixture. Pour 1½ cups water into bottom of baking sheet; roast 1 hour. Brush ribs with remaining apple juice mixture and continue to roast until meat is tender but not falling off bone (internal temperature should be 195 to 200 degrees), 1 to 2 hours. Transfer ribs to cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest 15 minutes. Cut ribs between bones to separate and serve.



Technique

Turning Your Grill Into a Smoker


For ribs with deep, crusty bark and satisfying chew, Memphis pit masters rely on massive smokers to cook the racks low and slow. Back in Boston, we achieved similar results by converting a charcoal kettle into a makeshift smoker. For slow, steady, indirect heat, we banked all the coals to one side and piled lit coals on top of unlit coals to keep the fire going without opening the lid. Sprinkling soaked wood chips—rather than large chunks—over the coals introduced just enough smoke flavor, and a pan of water placed under the racks helped stabilize the air temperature and moisten the meat. (To replicate this method on a gas grill, we placed the soaked wood chips and water in disposable aluminum pie plates and set them on the burners.) These modifications were so successful that the ribs only needed to spend 90 minutes on the grill.


Step-by-Step

Speeding Up Memphis-Style Ribs


Traditionally, Memphis dry-rub ribs are a 24-hour-plus project: The racks are rubbed with spices, left to sit overnight, and then slow-smoked for the better part of a day. Here’s how we mimicked the smoky, pleasantly chewy results in less than half the time.

1. A BRIEF RUBDOWN


Because the meat layer is so thin, an overnight rub is unnecessary. Applying the rub (a blend of salt, brown sugar, paprika, and other spices) just before cooking infuses plenty of sweet-spicy flavor.


2. FINISH IN THE OVEN

Thanks to our grill setup, we get great smoke flavor by grill-smoking the ribs for 1½ hours before transferring them to a low oven to cook 2 to 3 hours more. Water added to the baking sheet helps keep the meat moist.



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