Recipe: Barbecue Pork Spareribs

By theadmin

When temperatures soar, and we enter summer’s swelter, the one reprieve and saving grace in Texas is the smoker. It gives reason to our quest for outdoor leisure; it brings the succulence of brisket that sports a dark, serious bark and glorious ribs, pink meat barely clinging to the bone, providing a sweet and saucy delight. Matt Pittman knows this well. The founder of the Waxahachie-based Meat Church BBQ (established in 2014) has made a business out of barbecue rubs with names like Holy Cow, The Gospel All Purpose, and Holy Voodoo.

If you want thoroughly Texas barbecue this summer, look no further than this recipe for luscious pork spareribs, using Meat Church BBQ rubs. A word to barbecue aficionados: You can go simply with seasoning and smoke. This recipe yields ribs that are also wrapped and saucy. Adjust to your liking.

Serves: 6
Total active smoking time: 5 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 racks St. Louis-style or full pork spareribs
Meat Church Honey Hog Hot BBQ Rub and/or Meat Church Honey Hog BBQ Rub, as needed
1 cup apple juice to spritz, if desired

Wrap

10 ounces melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup local honey
1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
Aluminum foil

Sauce

1 cup barbecue sauce of choice
1 /3 cup local honey

Method

Set your smoker temperature to 275 F and preheat (lid closed) for 15 minutes. Use your favorite hardwood. Fruit woods pair well with pork, but hickory and oak lend a classic flavor. Trim the ribs as needed and remove the membrane from the back of the racks by sliding a butter knife under the membrane, gripping it with a paper towel, and then slowly peeling it away.

Generously season the bone side of each rack with Meat Church Honey Hog Hot BBQ Rub. Wait 10 minutes, then flip over and generously season the meat side with Meat Church Honey Hog BBQ Rub. (Or change ratios, depending on seasoning/spice preference.)

Place the ribs, meat-side up, directly on the grill grates. Close the lid and smoke, spritzing with apple juice every 45 minutes, until the ribs turn mahogany-hued, about 2.5 hours. If you are omitting the wrapping and sauce, continue smoking until done (when the meat reaches 200–205 F), about another 2 hours.

pork spareribs — Photo by Natalie Goff. Prop Styling by Kylie Valigura.

If you are wrapping and saucing:

Set two long sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil on a flat surface. Spoon half the melted butter onto the center of each sheet of foil, then top with half of the brown sugar and honey. Add a few splashes of hot sauce, if desired. Place a rack of ribs, meat-side down, on top of each brown sugar-honey mixture, then wrap the ribs tightly in the foil.

Return the ribs to the grill, close the lid, and cook until the meat pulls back from the bone, another 2–2.5 hours. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients. Remove the ribs from the grill, unwrap them, flip them meat-side up, and lightly drizzle with sauce. Return the ribs directly to the grill grates, bone-side down. Close the lid and cook until the sauce sets, about 15 minutes.

Remove the racks from the grill. Let them rest for a few minutes before slicing between the bones into individual ribs. Enjoy promptly!

We know the best barbecue in the world is found in Texas, but there are other styles worth exploring!