Finger-licking goodness

I am so blessed to have a brother that is a foodie like me.  His area of expertise is barbeque.  Nothing says home to me like falling off the bone ribs with sauce dripping off your chin.  Jeremy has always been a great cook, however, he has mastered the art of the grill.  He has been competing professionally on the BBQ circuit competitions and have won a few.  And let me tell you, that is one tough crowd to beat.  Lucky for me, he has given me an all access backstage pass to his secrets that I will share with you.  Here are his secrets to perfect St. Louis-style ribs.  Get your bibs and napkins ready!

Jeremy's Spare Ribs

Step 1.  Watch this video on how to prepare your ribs.  Rib Video


Step 2.  Once you trim and prepare your ribs.  Season ribs on all sides with Rib Rub Seasoning.  Place on baking sheet and cover overnight in refrigerator.

Rib Rub Seasoning

2 T. kosher or sea salt
1 T. pepper
1 T. granulated garlic (not powder)
1 tsp. chipotle chili powder (if you can't find powder then take a  whole dried chipotle and grind it in a spice or coffee grinder)
3 T. McCormick's Grill Mate Pork Rub


Step 3.  Prep the smoker
I initially tried smoking on my gas grill.  Not such a great idea.  It does not allow the smoke to be trapped in the grill to properly penetrate the meat.  Use a kettle style grill like Weber or any type of regular smoker.

Soak Apple, Cherry or Pecan wood chips in water for 30 minutes.  Drain water and make a package out of heavy duty foil for your wood chips and vent top by making a few 2 inch slits with knife, or use smoker box if you have it.  Once your smoker is at temperature you will put this package directly on the coals or heat source.  Meanwhile, prepare your smoker by regulating the temperature to a steady 225-250 degrees.  IMPORTANT!!!  USE AN OVEN THERMOMETER TO REGULATE YOUR HEAT.  Grill and smoker thermometers are usually always off.  It is imperative that you get the right temp to ensure the best results.  If using a grill, make sure you are setting the coals to one side for indirect heat.

Step 4.  Place meat on smoker and relax
Do not put your meat directly over your heat source.  This will char your meat.  If you realize that you don't have enough grill space for your ribs you can use a grill rack that stands the ribs on the side to conserve grill space or form your ribs into a circle and secure with toothpicks and stand on their side.  Smoke your meat for 6-7 hours or until the meat starts to pull away from the bone, exposing the bare bone on the end.  Baste ribs during the last 30 minutes of cooking with a BBQ sauce such as Head Country.  For those of you who live up north and can't get this one, find a sauce that is mostly a tomato and vinegar base as the first 2 ingredients.  Sauces that use high-fructose corn syrup as the main ingredient will result in a gummy sauce once smoked.  I found that Dinosaur Original BBQ sauce worked well for me which was available at my local Walmart here in upstate NY.

Step 5.  Let your meat rest for about 15 minutes.
Once cooled, cut ribs into individual pieces, serve with your favorite BBQ sauce and enjoy!

I realize that this may seem like a lot of work but trust me, it is worth every minute when you sink your teeth into this finger-licking goodness.

Stay tuned for more BBQ recipes and sides to go with this.