Papa's Spareribs
Submitted by jocelyne
Papa’s spareribs start in the oven and finish on the barbecue pit with a homemade sauce of smoked salt, brown sugar, ketchup, liquid smoke, and Worcestershire. Smoky, sticky, fall-off-the-bone ribs.
YIELD
4 racksPREP
40 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
1 hrsThese spareribs use a smart two-stage cook: a low oven renders the fat and starts breaking down the connective tissue, then the barbecue pit finishes the job with smoke and a sticky, saucy glaze. The result is ribs that are tender through the middle with a caramelized, charred crust.
The homemade sauce simmers for 30 minutes on the stove, blending smoked salt, brown sugar, chili powder, ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard, lemon juice, and liquid smoke into a thick, complex glaze. It makes enough to cover four full racks.
The stacking and rotating technique on the pit is old-school barbecue wisdom. Piling the racks on top of each other traps moisture between the layers, keeping them juicy while they slowly move closer to the heat. Sauce goes on in the final stretch so it caramelizes without burning.
Pro Tips
- Trim all excess fat before oven time. The oven step renders what’s left, and the grill crisps it up
- Season with seasoning salt before the oven for flavor that penetrates during the initial bake
- Stack and rotate ribs on the grill to keep them moist. The bottom rack steams the ones above it
- Brush the sauce on only in the last 10 minutes per side. Too early and the sugar burns black
Variations
- Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the sauce for a tangier Carolina-style flavor
- Swap liquid smoke for actual wood smoke if your grill has a smoker box
- Use baby back ribs instead of spare ribs for a quicker cook and leaner result
Ingredients
Directions
Combine smoked salt, salt, brown sugar, coarse ground pepper, garlic powder, ch ili powder, margarine, ketchup, water, lemon juice, prepared mustard, liquid smoke, small onion, and Worcestershire sauce in saucepan.
Simmer about 30 minutes on low.
Will cover about 4 racks of ribs.
Have butcher crack large end of rack of spareribs, but leave it all in one piece. You can cut in half for more convenience in cooking.
Trim off all excess f at.
Sprinkle ribs with seasoning salt.
Put in 325F oven for about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how many you have to put in the pan.
Cook rest of way on barbecue pit for about 30 to 40 minutes on low heat.
As they cook stack one on top of another and rotate, this will keep the m juicy, gradually move closer to heat.
Brush on lots of sauce and cook about 10 minutes on each side.
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