Bradley’s Smoked Slow Cooked BBQ Ribs

Makes 6 – 8 servings 
Ingredients

  • 2kg of pork baby back ribs
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • ground black pepper, to taste

SPICE RUB

  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoon paprika, sweet or smoked
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

BBQ SAUCE

  • ¾ cup ketchup
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons mustard or 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • 3 Tablespoons vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Directions

  1. Setup your Bradley Smoker to 120°C (248F) and load with your favourite bisquettes (Hickory, Pecan, Cherry and Maple work very well with Pork)
  2. If you wish to remove the membrane from the back of the ribs use your fingers to get underneath the membrane and loosen it along one side, then pull it off. (It may come off in more than one piece.) Otherwise leave it on, it’s not noticeable after the long cooking time.  Personal preference on this one.

At the advice from a Chef friend I left the membrane on recently when I cooked ribs and as he suggested with the long cooking time it isn’t even noticeable, the ribs were perfection

  1. Season the ribs with salt and black pepper.
  2. Make the spice rub: in a small bowl, mix all of the spice rub ingredients together until they’re well combined.
  3. Gently rub the spice mix all over the ribs, making sure to completely cover the ribs in the spices.
  4. For the best flavour refrigerate covered in plastic wrap overnight, if you’re cooking for today then place ribs straight into the smoker on smoker racks.
  5. Hot smoke for 3-4 hours at 120C
  6. Make a pouch for the ribs: place two layers of aluminium foil down, and place the ribs (meat side up) on the foil, then pull the edges of the foil up around the ribs to wrap them. The pouch needs to be sealed well so that it will keep in the moisture.
  7. Return the wrapped ribs to your smoker and cook for 2 – 3 hours, or more depending on the size of your racks of ribs. Take out of the smoker and allow the foil wrapped ribs to rest until they’re cool enough to handle without oven mitts.
  8. Open one corner of the foil pouch and pour the accumulated juices from the ribs into a large measuring cup or a bowl, and set aside. Keep the ribs wrapped while you make the BBQ sauce.
  9. Make the BBQ sauce: Add the reserved rib juices and all of the sauce ingredients to a medium-sized sauce pot over medium low heat. Simmer the sauce, stirring frequently, until it’s thick (about 20 minutes).
  10. Remove the ribs from the foil pouch. Brush the ribs with a good layer of sauce and return them to the hot smoker (approx. 20 minutes) or place in your oven using the grill function until the top is caramelized and the sauce is set (about 5 – 10 minutes).
  11. Allow the ribs to cool slightly before cutting them into individual ribs or sections. Serve with extra sauce.

Original recipe by tiphero.com adapted by Bradley Smoker NZ  – Check out our Facebook Page!