Oak-smoked rack of pork ribs
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- + Marinating
- Easy
- Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 2kg meaty pork rib racks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 100ml pressed apple juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- a few large handfuls (see ‘Which wood?’ box, below) oak wood chips
RUB
- 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
- ground to make ½ tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp garlic granules
- 1 tbsp onion granules
- a pinch cayenne pepper
BBQ SAUCE
- 100g tomato ketchup
- 50ml pressed apple juice
- 50g soft light brown sugar
- a good dash Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Method
- STEP 1
Trim any excess fat and sinew from the ribs. Combine all the rub ingredients in a large bowl, lightly oil the ribs and use your hands to cover them in the rub until well coated. Marinate in the fridge, ideally overnight, or for at least 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the fridge an hour before you begin cooking to bring up to room temperature.
- STEP 2
Combine the apple juice and apple cider vinegar, and pour into a small spray bottle or keep to one side in a small container – this will be used to keep the ribs moist and help the surface to caramelise when cooking.
- STEP 3
To prepare the barbecue, follow the instructions in the box, above. Cook the ribs for 4 hours, turning and rotating every 30 minutes – give the ribs a good spray or drizzle of the apple juice at the same time. If the temperature drops too low, lift the lid and fan the coals to get the heat going again.
- STEP 4
In the final 30 minutes of cooking time, make the BBQ sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small pan and bring to a simmer. Keep stirring until the sauce reduces to a thick glaze, then remove from the heat. To ensure the ribs are cooked through, use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature has reached 82C. For the final 5 minutes of cooking time, turn the ribs bone-side down and generously brush all over with the glaze. Once the glaze has darkened a little, remove the ribs and rest for 15 minutes. Slice the rack into individual ribs and serve alongside fries and coleslaw, if you like.
- STEP 5
For the final 5 mins of cooking time, turn the ribs bone-side down and generously brush all over with the glaze. Once the glaze has darkened a little, remove the ribs and leave to rest for 15 mins. Slice the rack into individual ribs and serve alongside fries and coleslaw, if you like.
