Oven-Barbecued Spareribs
(from Bethany’s recipe box)
Where there’s smoke, there’s flavor.
Serves 4
To make this recipe, you will need a baking stone, a sturdy baking sheet with a 1-inch rim, and a wire cooling rack that fits inside it. It’s fine if the ribs overlap slightly on the rack. In step 1, removing the surface fat keeps the ribs from being too greasy. And, removing the membrane from the ribs allows the smoke to penetrate both sides of the racks and also makes the ribs easier to eat. Note that the ribs must be coated with the rub and refrigerated at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours ahead of cooking. Be careful when opening the crimped foil to add the juice, as hot steam and smoke will billow out.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
When the craving for barbecued ribs strikes in the dead of winter, you’re out of luck unless you visit the local rib joint. There are recipes for oven barbecuing, but the smoke-flavored sauce they use is no substitute for actual smoke. We wanted the real thing, but prepared indoors.
St. Louis–style ribs, which have been trimmed of skirt meat and excess cartilage, work best here. We started with a spice rub as we would for grilling, but found that a thin coating of mustard, ketchup, and garlic helped the rub adhere. We tried wood chips in a stovetop smoker, but we had difficulty fitting the ribs in the pan, it’s hard to find wood chips in wintertime—and the smoke-filled kitchen was the clincher. We gave up on wood chips and instead borrowed a Chinese cooking method of smoking over tea leaves. Lapsang Souchong tea, which itself has a smoky flavor, worked perfectly when we ground it fine. Chilling the ribs first helped prevent toughening in the oven’s initial high heat. Apple juice, a common ingredient in barbecue “mops,” added moisture and more flavor. And running the ribs under the broiler at the end browned and crisped them. These tender, smoky, and spicy ribs taste amazingly like those barbecued on the grill, but can be made any time of the year.
http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/test-kitchen-community/2012/08/best-of-the-best-day-eight-oven-barbecued-ribs-2/
Source: America's Test Kitchen Season 7: Rainy Day Barbecue (createtv)
Categories: Meat
Ingredients
- Ribs:
- 2 racks St. Louis–style spareribs (2 1/2 to 3 pounds each)
- 1/4 cup finely ground Lapsang Souchong tea (from about 10 tea bags, or 1/2 cup loose tea leaves ground to a powder in a spice grinder)
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- Rub:
- 6 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
Directions
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For the ribs: Using a sharp knife, trim any surface fat from both racks. To remove the membrane (the thin white sheath that lines the concave side of the rack), insert a spoon handle between the membrane and the ribs of one rack to loosen slightly. Using a paper towel, grasp the loosened membrane and pull away gently to remove. Repeat with the second rack.
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For the rub: Combine the mustard, ketchup, and garlic in a small bowl; combine the pepper, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, salt, and sugar in a separate small bowl. Spread the mustard mixture in a thin, even layer over both sides of the ribs and coat both sides with the spice mixture, then wrap the ribs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
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Transfer the ribs from the refrigerator to the freezer for 45 minutes. Adjust one oven rack to the lowest position and the second rack to the upper-middle position (at least 5 inches below the broiler). Place the baking stone on the lower rack and heat the oven to 500 degrees. Sprinkle the ground tea evenly over the bottom of the rimmed baking sheet and set the wire rack on the sheet. Place the ribs meat side up on the rack and cover with heavy-duty foil, crimping the edges tightly to seal. Set the baking sheet with the ribs directly on the stone and roast for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees, leaving the oven door open for 1 minute to cool. While the oven is open, carefully open one corner of the foil and pour the apple juice into the bottom of the baking sheet; reseal the foil. Continue to roast until the meat is very tender and begins to pull away from the bones, about 1 1/2 hours. (Begin to check the ribs after 1 hour; leave loosely covered with foil for the remaining cooking time.)
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Remove the foil and carefully flip the racks bone side up and place the baking sheet on the upper-middle oven rack. Turn on the broiler and cook the ribs until well browned and crispy in spots, 5 to 10 minutes. Flip the ribs meat side up and cook until well browned and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes more. Cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into individual ribs. Serve with barbecue sauce, if desired.