Smoked Pork Ribs with Apple & Apricot BBQ Glaze
Category
Pork Ribs
Servings
4
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
4 hours
Who doesn’t love true low-and-slow smoked pork ribs? Grilling expert Clint Cantwell shows us how to take them over the top, starting with Snake River Farms Kurobuta ribs, giving them the perfect kiss of smoke and flames and finishing them with a flavor packed apple and apricot glaze.
Author:Clint Cantwell
Ingredients
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2 racks of Kurobuta spare ribs
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¼ cup Brownulated® sugar (available in the baking aisle of your local grocer)
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¼ cup Kosher salt
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2 tablespoon smoked paprika
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2 tablespoon ground ginger
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2 tablespoon garlic powder
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1 tablespoon onion powder
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1 tablespoon chili powder
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1 teaspoon dried oregano
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1 teaspoon dried thyme
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¼ cup yellow mustard
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1 (18 ounce) bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
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¼ cup apple juice
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¼ cup apricot preserves
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2 tablespoon unsalted butter
Kurobuta Spare Ribs
Apple and Apricot Barbecue Glaze
Directions
Kurobuta Spare Ribs
Prepare grill for indirect heat grilling, placing a water-filled disposable aluminum pan in the center of the bottom charcoal grate and adding pre-heated charcoal briquets on either side of the pan. Add 3 to 4 chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal, replace the main cooking grate, and close the bottom air vents almost entirely for low heat cooking (approximately 250°F.)
To begin preparing the ribs, remove the tough membrane from the bone side of each rack by sliding a butter knife under one corner of the membrane then grasping it with a dry paper towel to pull it off completely.
Combine Brownulated® sugar, salt, paprika, ground ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, dried oregano, and dried thyme in a small bowl and stir to combine. Coat the ribs with a thin layer of yellow mustard then season liberally on both sides with the BBQ dry rub mixture.
Place ribs in the center of the main grill grate directly above the water pan.
Cover the grill and allow the ribs to smoke for approximately 3 1/2 hours for spare ribs and 2 1/2 hours for baby back ribs until they bend approximately 45° when held from one end with tongs.
Coat both sides of each rack with the apple and apricot barbecue glaze and return them to the grill for 5 minutes to allow the sauce to set.
Remove the ribs from the grill, slice, and serve.
Apple and Apricot Barbecue Glaze
While there are many recipes out there for homemade barbecue sauce, this is a quick and easy method for taking store-bought sauce and making it your own with the addition of just a few extra ingredients. Combine the barbecue sauce, apple juice, and apricot preserves in a small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for approximately 10 minutes until the apple juice has reduced slightly and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the butter and allow the sauce to sit over low heat until ready to use.