GAS GRILL-SMOKED RIBS
This week on Basics, I'm showing you how you can smoke ribs on a gas grill.
Ingredients
Ribs:
2 racks of baby back ribs
Dry Rub Ingredients:
½ cup sweet paprika
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp dried sage (optional)
1 tsp dried oregano (optional)
1 tsp ground mustard seed (optional)
1 tsp ground cayenne (optional)
1 Tbsp freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp kosher salt
Smoking Ingredients:
Hickory wood chips (or wood chips of choice)
Aluminum foil
Homemade BBQ Sauce Ingredients:
14 oz ketchup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
Hot sauce, to taste
2 small garlic cloves, grated
¼ red onion, grated
½ cup dark brown sugar
Dry rub set aside from recipe above
Method
Dry Rub Method:
Into a larger bowl goes ½ cup of sweet paprika, 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, ½ cup of dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of chili powder, 1 tablespoon of ground ginger, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of onion powder. Add 1 teaspoon each of dried sage, dried oregano, ground mustard seed, and ground pepper with 1 tablespoon of ground pepper and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.
Mix together until homogenous and give it a taste. Adjust as necessary to your desired taste.
Rib Preparation and Seasoning:
Start by removing the thin piece of membrane on the back of the rib rack. This is best done by finding the edge of the membrane using a paring knife, then use a paper towel to grip and peeling it off in one motion.
Set aside about a cup of dry rub. Then generously sprinkle the dry rub over every square inch of the ribs, making sure to cover all sides. Pat and rub down to make sure everything is well covered.
Once every inch of the ribs is covered in dry rub, let the ribs sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
Gas Grill Smoking Method:
Start by cutting a length of aluminum foil to make a wood chip packet. On one side place a pile of a few handfuls of wood chips. Fold the foil onto itself and crimping the edges to make a packet. **Make 3-4 of these ahead of time to switch out later**
Once the foil is folded and crimped, cut 4-5 vents into the top of the foil so smoke can escape. Place directly on the heat plates of the grill (on the far right side), as close to the heat source as possible. Place 2 disposable aluminum trays on the grill grates right over the wood chips. Fill each tray halfway with tap water. You can also can use apple juice or beer - this is to create steam.
Remove any warming/bun racks from the grill. Turn the right side burners to high heat, and wait until smoking ensues, at which point turn the heat down to medium to maintain grill temperature between 225°F - 275°F.
Once the smoke has turned from white to blue or calmed down a bit, place the ribs (cut into pieces) vertically on a rib rack or flat on the grill on the left side and as far away from the heat as possible without touching the wall of the grill. Make sure they’re perpendicular to the heat so that they get even exposure.
Close the lid and try not to open it! Make slight adjustments as necessary to maintain that grill temperature of 225°F - 275°F. Check every 10-15 minutes making sure the temperature is in that range.
After 1 hour, the smoke will have decreased. At this point, rotate the wood packet 90 degrees and let the ribs smoke for 30 more minutes. Then, replace that wood chip packet with a fresh one. Close the lid and turn the heat to high until thick white smoke develops. Turn the heat to medium. If the smoke is still thick, continue to lower the temperature until a light blue smoke begins to appear.
Once the blue smoke has developed, maintain the grill temperature, replacing the wood packet and water pans as necessary over the next 4-6 hours. Rotate the ribs 180 degrees every 90 minutes or so to make sure they get even exposure.
At the 5 hour mark, the ribs should hit 225°F at the thickest point. When stretched the meat should slightly separate and the bones to feel a little loose.
Remove the ribs from the rib rack and place directly onto the grill, still on the cool side. Then generously brush the ribs with the homemade BBQ sauce.
Close the grill and turn the heat up to high until the temperature of the grill reaches 450°F.
Once the BBQ layer is soft and sticky, but not hardened, remove from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes before brushing down with BBQ sauce one more time before biting into it.
BBQ Sauce Method:
Into a bowl goes 14 ounces of ketchup, ¼ cup of Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard, a few squeezes or dashes of your desired hot sauce, 2 grated small cloves of garlic, ¼ red onion grated, ½ cup of dark brown sugar and a few generous dashes of the dry rub (that you set aside earlier) then whisk together.
Taste for seasoning. If it’s too sour add a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses and for more spice add an extra dash of dry rub then whisk together.
Place over medium-low heat in a saucepan for 10 minutes.