Pork Ribs

 

They say to make award-winning ribs, you must have a master recipe that excels with various pork ribs, including spareribs and country-style ribs. Instead of an award-winning recipe, I say, you must have the heart and soul of a cook with an outstanding knowledge of how spices and herbs work together to make a great set of ribs. The following recipe was created by years of trial and error and lots of luck. The first bit of advice is to measure your meat, because if you have thicker meat cuts, you have to extend the cooking time to ensure the perfect tenderness in the end result. I’d also suggest purchasing some wood chips and soaking them in mesquite or hard apple wood for a better response and flavor.

Ingredients

6 pounds pork spareribs

1 ½ cups white sugar

¼ cup salt

2 ½ tablespoons ground black pepper

3 tablespoons sweet paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

2 tablespoons garlic powder

5 tablespoons drippings from the pan

½ cup chopped onion

4 cups of ketchup

3 cups hot water

4 tablespoons brown sugar

cayenne pepper to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup wood chips, soaked

Directions

Prepare the ribs by cleaning and trimming excess fat. 

In a bowl, mix sugar, 1/4 cup salt, black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Rub this spice blend generously onto the ribs and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.  Preheat oven to 275°F (135°C) and bake uncovered for 4 hours until tender.  Sauté onions in drippings until golden; then add ketchup and simmer with water and brown sugar for an hour.

Preheat your grill to medium-low heat, ensuring it's ready for optimal cooking.

For added flavor, soak wood chips in water and place them on the coals or in a gas grill's smoker box.

Lightly oil the grate before placing two racks of ribs at a time to avoid overcrowding. Grill for 20 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with sauce for the last 10 minutes to prevent burning. 🍖

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing, with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts Degree from Phoenix University in Business Management, then a degree in Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Ashford University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft, and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, gouache, and pastels. As a political operative who has worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, Gardening, and opinion or history pieces each week.