Juicy, succulent St. Louis-cut pork side ribs cooked to perfection using your choice of smoker, BBQ or convecton oven. Courtesy of Wolfgang Sterr of Whistler Blackcomb.
ingredients
directions
Rib Preparation: Trim away any excess fatty bits and remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Pat the ribs dry with a paper towel. Rub both sides of the ribs generously with your rub of choice.
Smoker Method: Place the ribs on a rack in your smoker and ensure they are not piled on one another so that the heat can cook them evenly from all sides.
Try to maintain a smoker temperature of 225-250ºF for the entire duration.
Woodchips are used to generate the smoke; I prefer apple wood or hickory chips but any natural woodchips will do the trick.
The ribs should be smoked for 2.5 to 3.5 hours or until the meat starts to pull away from the ends of the bones.
Brush your ribs with BBQ sauce in the final hour of smoking but this can also be done at the very end.
BBQ Method: Ensure to keep the heat down and to monitor the temperature constantly to avoid flare ups that could potentially burn the meat.
Raw ribs should be well wrapped in tin foil and kept away from direct heat.
Convection Oven Method: Can be used as well and will give a more consistent temperature than a BBQ or charcoal smoker but they will not give you the same smoky flavor.
When using an oven, the ribs should be covered with tin foil to ensure even cooking and brushed with BBQ sauce halfway through cooking time (cooking time/temperature – 250ºF for 3-4.5 hours).
Finishing the Ribs: Once the ribs are cooked, the ideal way to finish them is to brush them with BBQ sauce and grill them lightly on both sides to caramelize the sugars in the sauce.
Remove them from the grill, cut into desired portions, serve with potato wedges and a light slaw.