Apple Cider Ribs

Makes: 4-6 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours, 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 slabs loin back ribs (baby back)
1 cup KC Masterpiece® Original Barbecue Sauce

Dry Rub
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons garlic salt
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Liquid Seasoning
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup apple jelly
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry rub mix (above)

Remove the membrane from the back of the rib slabs. In a small bowl, combine the dry rub ingredients and mix well. Reserve one tablespoon of the rub for the liquid seasoning mixture. Generously apply the dry rub onto the front and back sides of ribs. Gently pat to ensure that the rub will adhere.

Build a charcoal fire for indirect cooking by situating the coals on only one side of the grill, leaving the other side void. Add a small aluminum pan to the void side of the grill and fill it halfway with water. When the charcoal grill reaches 250 degrees Fahrenheit, place ribs meat-side up on grill grate and cook over indirect heat for two hours and 15 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the grill. Place each slab meat-side down on its own doubled aluminum foil square. The foil should be large enough to completely wrap each slab. Mix the liquid seasoning in a small bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of the liquid over each slab. Then, tightly wrap and seal each slab with aluminum foil. Place the wrapped ribs back in cooker for one hour at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the ribs from the charcoal grill, unwrap, and discard foil. Brush finishing glaze on both sides of the ribs. Place the ribs back on the grill for 15 minutes, or until sauce caramelizes.

Recipe created by champion pitmaster, Chris Lilly, on behalf of Kingsford® charcoal

This looks REALLY familiar . Sounds great, I'd like to try this.

About the apple cider ingrediant, do you think he means the 6% alcohol sparkling hard apple cider or the sweet non-alcohol non carbonated kind? I'm thinking the latter.

Hmmm, I've got powdered apple cider too that could go in the rub if the apple flavor needs any help. Most of it is only on for half hour then dumped.

Since "sparkling" and "hard" are not mentioned, I assume it is normal non-alcoholic apple cider.

Chris

Ok thanks Chris, 'Apple cider' here usually refers to alcoholized stuff (sparkling or not, see here for example) ... was just wondering.

quote:

Originally posted by Shawn W:
Ok thanks Chris, 'Apple cider' here usually refers to alcoholized stuff (sparkling or not, see here for example) ... was just wondering.

Shawn, Apple cider here in the states is usually this Link for you but not always. But here in Amish town, apple cider is just pressed apples with some pulp, non filtered. HTH

That does help.

Funny, it's yet another version of apple cider to me. In addition to alcohol ciders here, there is soft cider which is dealcoholized and I remember apple and cherry cider from roadside fruit stands growing up. They were quite sweet, dark, clear, had a real different taste ... certainly a different animal again than what wiki is showing as cider. They were the best part of those long road trips in the family vehicle to BC for summer vacation.

Anyhow, I know what to use, so thnxs Bryan.

I assume the same cooking time for the WSM?

sounds good

I made these yesterday using large back ribs (3 racks over 9lbs).

I didn't like my rub too much, I doubled the recipe and subbed half the brown sugar for powdered hot apple cider drink. I think it would have been just fine except for the off taste from the powdered drink mix. Omitted crushed red peper & salt, used mix of fresh ground aleppo and ancho for chile powder, granulated garlic instead of garlic salt and celery pepper. Salted the ribs prior to putting rub on.

I really liked the 'liquid seasoning' though (used apple juice, no other changes). I plan on trying it again without my addition.

I made some "Apple City Apple Ribs" about 2 weeks ago out of the "Smoke and Spice" book to the exact recipie, sauce and all. Those in my opinion were not good (although they sounded unique and tasty just by reading) but now that I know what I didn't like about them, and reading this recipie, this sounds simpler, and better, I'm gonna make these next time I do ribs. Can't wait. Whoever else tries these please post and lets here what you thought . Thanks for the recipie.
Shawn 1-10 what did you think (that is when you try the exact recepie). Looks like they lean tword the sweeter side (which is fine w/ me, I like all kinds) correct? thanks again.
*one more thing, is the "finishing glaze" the K.C.? Thanks. I may try to re-arrange that if it is, for every time I've used it I havn't been real fond of it, although it wasn't "bad." problem is how... anyone got any ideas that would kind of fit in the recipie? I'm not real hot w/ inventing glazes unfortunatly, what you think shawn/ guys?

quote:

is the "finishing glaze" the K.C.?

Ya I guess so. I can't buy that sauce here, I used some Head Country Hot courtesy of my pusher, I mixed it about 50/50 with apple jelly. I like using my habanero jelly or honey. It doesn't need to be as sweet as 50/50. Warm it up together just enough to melt the jelly/honey and mix it together.

This is what I do ... grill up the ribs indirect on a medium grill to crisp up the outside some (both sides). Meat side down first brush the back side, give it a minute or two for the glaze to set, then flip and apply on the meat side. Too much heat will completely burn the sauce and it can happen real fast ... you have to be quite quick if the grill is hot.

You can flip once more if you like, I do this, I like the sauce to be cooked on and get just a bit dark ... you can repeat this several times if you like building up layers of sauce in this manner. Can finish with a wet layer on top too.

If you don't like K.C use your fav sauce. If you'd like less sweet skip adding honey/jelly. HTH