BBQ Ribs with Vegemite (Real BBQ - 4 Hours slow)

8. December 2007 by James.

Seriously the best BBQ Ribs - Traditional, classic, smoked, bbq’d.

Ingredients

• Two racks of pork spare ribs trimmed (these have the skirt removed but the rib tips are still attached, up to you)
• plain yellow mustard
• Dry Rub (recipe follows)
• Wet mop (recipe follows)
• BBQ Sauce (recipe follows)
• Hickory or Alder chunks or chips soaked overnight
• Slow griller - smoker. You don’t want to get over 225 degrees, so whatever you can use that will keep a steady low temperature.

Dry Rub

• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar (packed)
• 1/4 hot paprika
• 3 Tbs. fresh ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs. garlic powder
• 1 Tbs. powdered onion
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 Tbs. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried Thyme
• 1 Tbs. chipotle chili powder

Combine all ingredients. Store in an air-tight container.

Instructions.

Lightly coat the ribs on both sides with yellow mustard.

Sprinkle on the rub covering both sides. Place the ribs in the fridge uncovered for 1-2 hours. This will form a nice tacky surface that will suck up the smoke. Take the ribs out and let them sit at room temperature for 30 - 45 mins. Perfect time to get the sauce ready.
You can start cooking the ribs immediately, (cooking instructions are right after the wet mop instructions), but I suggest you wait until the wet mop is all made. You need this stuff to keep the ribs most and tasty.

Wet Mop (keeps the meat moist)

• 2 Cups apple cider (Can be a can of fruity flavored soda - I used Fresca - grapefruit - it was great)
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup cooking sherry or cooking wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (bottled stuff is ok)
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

If you want to prepare the BBQ sauce while the meat is cooking, then go ahead and drop the ribs that have been coated with mustard and the dry rub on the rack. Make sure the grill/smoker is at a steady 225 degrees or LESS, and keep it there for 3 to 4 hours, depending on the kind of meat you’re preparing.

Let the ribs cook for 30-40 minutes before doing anything with them. Then slop-mop some of the wet mop on the top, turn it over and mop the bottom. Do this EVERY 30-40 minutes until it starts to look done or fall apart.

Then, coat both sides of the ribs with the sauce you’re about to make and LEAVE ALONE for another 20 minutes, then turn over and LEAVE ALONE for another 20 minutes. It’s now ready. Don’t let anyone rush you, and don’t put the bbq sauce on too soon or it will all caramelize and start burning because of the sugars in the sauce.

BBQ Sauce

Mix up the wet ingredients in a medium saucepan over low or medium heat. Don’t get it too hot. You’ll add the dry ingredients later.

Wet ingredients

• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 3 cups ketchup
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup Coca-Cola (not diet, you want the sugar).
• 1/4 cup A1 steak sauce
• 3/4 cup yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
• 3 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• 1 tsp. liquid smoke
• 1 Tbs. Vegemite or Marmite (If you don’t know what it is, don’t ask. You can usually get this at Cost Plus or World Market)

Dry ingredients

• 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. BBQ rub (recipe follows)
• 1 Tbs. pure chili powder
• 1 Tbs. fresh ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs. dry mustard
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• large pinch of kosher salt

Combine all the wet ingredients in a large sauce pan and slowly bring to a boil uncovered over medium heat.

While the wet stuff is cooking combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Once the wet ingredients come to a boil reduce heat and add the dry ingredients. Simmer on very low for around 30 mins or until the sauce has reduced and is thick (the longer the better). Use what you need here and then store in the fridge. I ended up using empty ketchup bottles, but wait to pour after the sauce has cooled or the plastic bottles will collapse.

Slop this stuff over your bread, your meat, your potatoes, your hair. Top your ice-cream with it. It’s that good.

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