Three options for tender, finger-licking-good pork ribs, slathered in the tastiest barbecue sauce. To cook, the choice is yours - 18 hours sous-vide in oven, 6 hours on the offset smoker, or 3 hours on the kettle barbecue. Melt-in-your-mouth savoury, spicy deliciousness!!
For the spice rub, mix all the ingredients together well. *
For the sticky sauce, mix all the ingredients together untiil combined.
To sous-vide pork ribs, preheat oven to 74°C/165°F. Fill a deep oven tray with water and place in the oven.
To prepare ribs, turn them over so the bone side is facing up. Remove the membrane along the back by sliding a teaspoon handle under the membrane between the last 2 bones of the rib rack. Once you have loosened enough to hang onto, hold on tight and pull until the whole thing is removed from the rack of ribs.
Lightly oil ribs all over and cover generously with rub. Substitute olive oil for mustard, if preferred.
Place in vacuum pack bag, vacuum, and seal; or place in a standard oven bag and tie off.
Place into the preheated water, making sure the ribs are fully submerged. You may need to weigh them down with another oven tray or similar. Cook for 18 hours. Remove from the oven and cool.
Remove ribs from the bag. Barbecue over a high heat for approximately 5 minutes per side, basting with sticky sauce as you go.
For offset smoker pork ribs, light and preheat offset smoker to 107°C/225°F. Ensure that the temperature is taken at the level the meat is sitting on the grill, using a temperature probe, as temperatures can vary between the top of the smoker (where the thermometer usually is) and the grill (where the meat is). Place a baking tray full of water on the right-hand side of the smoker to absorb the heat as it comes from the fire box, and to moisturise the chamber so the meat does not dry out as it cooks.
While smoker is heating, prepare ribs. Turn ribs over so the bone side is facing up. Remove the membrane along the back by sliding a teaspoon handle under the membrane between the last 2 bones of the rib rack. Once you have loosened enough to hang onto, hold on tight and pull until the whole thing is removed from the rack of ribs.
Lightly oil ribs all over and cover generously with rub. Substitute olive oil for mustard, if preferred. Place ribs uncovered and meat side up on your offset smoker for 3 hours. It is critical that the grill temperature is maintained as close as possible to 107°C/225°F. You will need to check regularly, add charcoal, and adjust airflow as required.
After 3 hours, remove ribs from the smoker and wrap tightly with foil. This captures the fats and meat juices, steaming the meat for that fall-off effect. Place your ribs back onto the grill for a further 2 hours.
After 2 hours, unwrap and place the ribs back on the grill, meat side up, for a further hour. Baste every 15 minutes with sticky sauce. Remove from the grill and serve.
For charcoal grilled pork ribs, prepare fire in the kettle barbecue. Remove the grates and place approximately 10-15 heat beads and a small pile of charcoal on one side of the grill. Start the fire and leave for 30-40 minutes until heat beads have turned white.
While barbecue is heating, prepare ribs. Turn ribs over so the bone side is facing up. Remove the membrane along the back by sliding a teaspoon handle under the membrane between the last 2 bones of the rib rack. Once you have loosened enough to hang onto, hold on tight and pull until the whole thing is removed from the rack of ribs.
Lightly oil ribs all over and cover generously with rub. Substitute olive oil for mustard, if preferred.
Once barbecue is ready, take a foil dish, set it on the other side of the grill and pour in 300-400ml of beer, water or apple juice. Place the cooking grates and the kettle lid on, and let the grill get to a low, steady temperature around 130-150°C/265-300°F – adjusting the airflow as required.
Once your grill temperature is steady, remove the kettle lid and place the ribs on indirect heat (this is the side of the cooking grill that is over the foil dish). Leave to cook for approximately 2 hours, rotating every 30 minutes so that different parts of the rack are exposed to the heat. It is critical that the grill temperature is maintained between 130-150°C/265-300°F. You will need to check regularly, add charcoal, and adjust airflow as required.
After 2 hours, remove the rack and baste generously with sticky sauce. Wrap in foil and return to the grill for another hour.
After 1 hour, remove the rack from the foil, baste generously again with sauce and return to the grill on indirect heat. Leave for another hour, basting with sauce every 15 minutes to form a tacky, sticky layer of sauce as it cooks. If you like a little char on your ribs, place them meat side down over the direct heat for the final 10-15 minutes.
Remove the rack from the heat, apply another basting of sauce, cover lightly with foil, and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.
*Rub will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 months. This quantity covers 5-6 racks of ribs.
