Memphis-Style Dry-Rub Ribs
Dry, please.
My favorite ribs in the whole world, serve with a variety of sauces but don’t be surprised if you dip less and less with each bite…
2 3 to 3 1/2 pound slabs St. Louis-style spare ribs
2-3/4 cups Memphis-Style Dry Rub (recipe below)
Trim bottom side of ribs of white membrane and trim excess fat. Pat both sides of the ribs so that no meat is visible. Wrap and refrigerate over night, or at least an hour or two.
Preheat the grill to 250. If using gas, run one side. If using wood or charcoal, gather them on one side of the barbecue. Place ribs meat-side down on the side not over direct heat. Put a handful of pecan or apple wood chips in a perforated foil packet and place over direct heat, holes facing up. Have another handy if smoke runs out.
Smoke for 2 to 2-1/2 hours, then flip for the last 45 minutes to an hour or until an internal temperature of 155 is reached. Set out for at least 10 minutes before chopping the ribs.
Serve with baked beans and tangy slaw.
Memphis-Style Dry Rub
Makes about 3 cups
1 cup Paprika
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup sea salt
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons toasted, ground coriander seed
2 tablespoons toasted, ground cumin seed
2 tablespoons toasted, ground tellicherry pepper
1 teaspoon ground mustard
Combine thoroughly and store in an air-tight container.
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Comments
Here’s your next rib-feast, Oklahoma.
Old Bill’s Rib Marinade
This recipe is for 2, 5 pound slabs of pork ribs. If you are only doing 5 pounds, then cut the quantities in half, more or less. This is not rocket science, just good eating. Likewise, double the quantity for more ribs.
2, 5 lb. pkgs. pork ribs
1 small onion
1 small green pepper
1 stalk celery
6 cloves whole, peeled garlic
1 cup bottled lemon juice
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
½ cup soy sauce
gallon zip-top
plastic bags
Turn the ribs bone side up. Get the point of a sharp knife under the silver skin covering the ribs. Remove as much silver skin as possible. Cut the ribs into one or two rib pieces.
In a food processor with the chopping blade installed, pulse the onion, pepper, celery and garlic until well mixed and juicy. Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire and soy sauce. Pulse again to mix. Careful, your processor’s bowl may be pretty full by this time, so watch for leaks.
Put about 1/3 of the ribs into a plastic zip-top bag and add about 1/3 of the marinade. Repeat for the rest of the ribs. Make sure that the top is tightly closed, then refrigerate the ribs for up to 24 hours, turning every once in awhile. The longer, the better, but 24 hours is about max.
Grill until done all the way through. Make sure they are done!
Pig.
Wild Bill
A word about the ingredients: Use the cheap stuff. No one really cares, unless Emeril is coming for the cookout. Your taste buds don’t really know the difference anyway.
Discard the marinade after use since it has been in contact with raw meat.
I have had something similar to that and it was incredibly good. Thanks for the recipe, because I never got one for it.
The only spice I pay a little extra for is really nice peppercorns. Try some nice tellicherry versus some Durkee preground and you’ll agree. And you don’t have to use as much because it’s so much more potent.
Great sounding recipe.
The only problem I see with this recipe is that they are grilled and not somked. But the recipe does sound great.
The ribs in the photo look fantastic. A few questions about the process; why smoke the ribs meat side down? Do you find a difference if you cook them bone side down? I’ve never tested this.
Also, have you ever tried grilling them wrapped in foil for the majority of the cooking time? I find they stay incredibly juicy this way. Your thoughts? I’d like to try smoking them for the full 3 (or so) hours but I worry about the smoke flavor overpowering everything else. Is it possible to over-smoke? Thanks,
Josh
Sorry it took so long Josh…I end up cooking to some degree on both sides. I like the light char mark it gives the ribs when you start meat down. With meat down to start, you’ll gather a little more heat and a little more smoke will absorb. Flipping to bone side down at the end begins a gradual cooldown and ensure you won’t dry out. It also allows the dry rub to set.
Foil definitely makes them juicier. You’re creating a steaming effect. For dry-rub ribs, I like the meat to fall off the bone but not the rub. I fear the foil could make a gooey — yet delicious — mess. I like foil if your’re going with wet ribs.
As for over-smoking, you can do that. But it ain’t easy. You’d have to continually add wood.
My favorite place to eat BBQ is Oklahoma Joe’s in Kansas City. The best of all worlds, sweet/smoky ribs with KC-style sweet & smoky ketchup-based sauce, and melt in your mouth Carolina-style pulled pork with nicely spicy Bubba vinegar sauce.