Saucy Spare Ribs

Directions

Admittedly, I have always been more of a dry rubbed ribs guy than a sauced ribs guy, but you can’t go wrong with Montgomery Inn’s ribs, and the combination that I created with my ribs this week are now a new favorite. Lane’s SPF53 Rub provides a base layer of heat and then Lane’s Itsa Vinegar Sauce gives a vinegary tang on the top for a killer flavor combination. In fact, I made a separate rack of ribs substituting Lane’s Signature Rub instead of SPF53 for the rest of my family, but my wife — who doesn’t like spicy food — said the rack with SPF53 had a better depth of flavor because the heat paired perfectly with the tang. And I agreed.

Start by firing up your smoker to 225. You want to keep it between 225 and 250 for the duration of the smoke. Use your choice of wood, which doesn’t matter too much with ribs. I’d stay away from full mesquite, because it could overpower the meat, but otherwise you’re good with whatever. I went with apple for this one.

While the smoker is heating up, prep your ribs. I like to start by rinsing them off in cold water to get any blood off and then pat dry with a paper towel. Before you apply your rub, you want to remove the silverskin from the rib side. Use a knife to dig underneath the edge and then use a paper towel in your hand to help you grab it and peel away. It may tear and take you a few tries, but if you don’t remove it the smoke won’t penetrate that side and it’ll be tough to chew.

After you have the silverskin removed, rub your ribs with either mustard or olive oil. It doesn’t really matter which one. They don’t add flavor, but just help the rub to stick to the meat. Now sprinkle a liberal amount of your SPF53 all over. Let sit for 15-20 minutes at room temperate. Note: if you have enough foresight, you can do this step the night before, wrap in plastic wrap, and let sit in the fridge overnight to help your rub sink into the meat.

Once your smoker is up to temp, place your ribs on the grill rack and let go for a few hours. Plan on about five hours for this cook, but every cut of meat is different, so that’s just an approximation. After about 2.5-3 hours, start spritzing your ribs every half hour with apple cider to keep some moisture in and add a little bit more flavor.

When the meat is starting to pull back from the bones and you can tell they are getting pretty tender, it’s time to add the sauce. Typically, you don’t want to add a brown sugar-based sauce too soon because it will burn, but this one isn’t brown sugar based. Just mop it on and let go for another 20-30 minutes to let it caramelize. I added a second mop of sauce after that and let it go for 5-10 more minutes before I pulled them to serve. Use a knife to cut them into two or three rib servings and enjoy! Even my kids couldn’t get enough of them.

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