Memphis-Style BBQ Ribs
Photo: Southern Foodways Alliance, CC BY 2.0
Memphis-style ribs are a classic of American barbecue, built on a dry rub, hours of hickory smoke and a sauce that is brushed on rather than poured. Here the sauce gets its body from tomato paste and molasses, with cider vinegar, Worcestershire and soy sauce keeping the sweetness in check. Cooking the ribs slowly over indirect heat, then finishing them over a hotter grill, gives you tender meat with a browned, lacquered surface.
Instructions
Coat the slab of spareribs evenly with the rib rub, pressing it onto the meat. Refrigerate the seasoned ribs for at least 1 hour so the rub has time to work in.
Set up a smoker or a charcoal grill for indirect heat at 250°F (120°C), and put the hickory chunks in place to produce smoke.
Combine the tomato paste, molasses, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the sauce has reduced by one third.
Put the ribs in the smoker or on the indirect side of the grill and cook for 4 to 5 hours. Baste them with the sauce now and then as they cook.
Brush the remaining sauce over the ribs and move them to a medium-high grill. Cook until the surface is browned, and make sure the internal temperature is at least 145°F (63°C) before taking them off.
Cover the ribs and let them rest for 10 minutes, then carve into portions.
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