Indoor Barbecued Ribs
By Morgan BollingPublished on December 21, 2022
Time
4¾ hours, plus 1½ hours brining and resting
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Ribs
2 (2½- to 3-pound) racks St. Louis–style spareribs, trimmed¾ cup kosher salt for brining⅓ cup granulated sugar for brining¼ cup liquid smoke 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons pepper 1 tablespoon granulated garlic ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepperBarbecue Sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil ½ cup finely chopped onion 1 cup ketchup ½ cup cider vinegar ¼ cup packed brown sugar 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon liquid smoke ½ teaspoon ground cuminBefore You Begin
If you want to get a fake smoke ring, substitute 1 tablespoon of Morton Tender Quick for 1 tablespoon of kosher salt in the pepper mixture in step 2. We developed this recipe with Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using smaller-grained Morton Kosher Salt, use 2/3 cup in the brine and 1 tablespoon on the ribs.
Instructions
- Cut each rib rack in half between 2 center bones. Combine 3 quarts cold water, 3/4 cup salt, sugar, and liquid smoke in stockpot or large plastic container and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add ribs, pressing to submerge. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set wire rack in sheet. Combine salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne in small bowl.
- Remove ribs from brine. Pat dry with paper towels and sprinkle ribs all over with pepper mixture. Place ribs meat side up on prepared wire rack. Roast for 2½ hours.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until just shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, pepper, liquid smoke, and cumin. Bring to boil and cook until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes; set aside off heat.
- Brush meat sides of ribs with ¼ cup sauce. Return to oven and continue to roast until tender and fork inserted into meat meets little resistance, 2 to 2½ hours longer.
- Remove from oven and brush meat side of ribs with additional ¼ cup sauce. Tent with foil and let rest for 30 minutes. Cut ribs between bones and serve, passing remaining barbecue sauce separately.
for the ribs
for the barbecue sauce
Time
4¾ hours, plus 1½ hours brining and restingYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Ribs
Barbecue Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Ribs
Barbecue Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Ribs
Barbecue Sauce
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Update: This recipe has been slightly reformulated to be more failproof since its initial publication. We reduced the amounts of salt in the recipe. The revision you see here was published in March of 2023. For oven-cooked ribs that tasted like they came off a wood-burning smoker, we brined St. Louis-style ribs in a combination of liquid smoke, salt, sugar, and water. The liquid smoke gave them a deep smoky flavor while the sugar and salt kept them juicy during cooking. Roasting the ribs in a low 275-degree oven turned them meltingly tender. Brushing them with a tangy barbecue sauce (with an extra dose of liquid smoke) at the halfway point allowed the sauce to tighten on the ribs for deeper flavor. And applying a second dose of that sauce after baking gave them a nice fresh, saucy shine.
Before You Begin
If you want to get a fake smoke ring, substitute 1 tablespoon of Morton Tender Quick for 1 tablespoon of kosher salt in the pepper mixture in step 2. We developed this recipe with Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using smaller-grained Morton Kosher Salt, use 2/3 cup in the brine and 1 tablespoon on the ribs.
Instructions
- Cut each rib rack in half between 2 center bones. Combine 3 quarts cold water, 3/4 cup salt, sugar, and liquid smoke in stockpot or large plastic container and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add ribs, pressing to submerge. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set wire rack in sheet. Combine salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne in small bowl.
- Remove ribs from brine. Pat dry with paper towels and sprinkle ribs all over with pepper mixture. Place ribs meat side up on prepared wire rack. Roast for 2½ hours.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until just shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, pepper, liquid smoke, and cumin. Bring to boil and cook until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes; set aside off heat.
- Brush meat sides of ribs with ¼ cup sauce. Return to oven and continue to roast until tender and fork inserted into meat meets little resistance, 2 to 2½ hours longer.
- Remove from oven and brush meat side of ribs with additional ¼ cup sauce. Tent with foil and let rest for 30 minutes. Cut ribs between bones and serve, passing remaining barbecue sauce separately.
for the ribs
for the barbecue sauce
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