Apple Glazed Baby Back Ribs

Hopefully I am not too late with this recipe for those that are looking for a great way to cook ribs for Memorial Day. This is a a variation of Chris Lilly’s championship rib recipe from the book Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book. These ribs are wonderfully sticky and smoky and the apple flavored sauce adds a unique spin on run of the mill barbecue.

I smoked these baby backs on the grill using indirect heat. The trick is to keep the temperature right around 250°F, so you may have to experiment with different configurations of your grill / heat source. Also, make sure you can trust your grill’s thermometer. They are notoriously inaccurate or fail to give you a reading from the grill grate level, where it counts.

Serve these apple glazed ribs with my Hot & Sour Slaw and a few ears of grilled corn with a chipotle chile lime butter and have  rockin’ Memorial Day.

INGREDIENTS:

2 full racks baby back ribs, silverskin membrane removed from underside (also I cut my racks in half for ease in handling)
wood chips or hardwood coals if you are going to smoke them

For the rub

1/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons chile powder (preferably pure ancho)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For the sauce

1 tablespoon of the the spice mix above
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup apple jelly. melted in the microwave
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup Crazy Barbara’s BBQ Sauce recipe found here or your favorite prepared version

PREPARATION:

1. Mix the rub ingredients together and reserve 1 tablespoon of the mixture to add to the sauce. Rub the remaining spice mix all over the ribs. Cover and refrigerate over nigh for best result but you can still have killer ribs with only a 1 hour or so rest. Try to allow the ribs to rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes just prior to throwing them on the grill.

2. Arrange your grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium low heat, (250°F to be exact). Add wood chips or chunks, a bread pan full of water and them the ribs, meat side up. Close the lid and monitor the heat. Cook them 2 hours then wrap each rack tightly in foil and cook for another hour or two. You want the meat tender and just pulling away from the bone.

3. Meanwhile mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

4. Remove the ribs from the grill and allow them to cool to a point where you can handle them. Cut them into individual ribs and toss them  in the sauce. Some of you may be tempted to finish off the ribs by applying the sauce while on the grill. You can do so but be careful of the very sugary sauce which can scorch and burn quickly and become bitter. Hope you have plenty of napkins.

Serves 2 – 4

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