Sticky 'n Sweet BBQ Spareribs



Ingredients:
1 Rack          St. Louis Cut Pork Spare Ribs (membrane removed)
3 TB              Bone Suckin BBQ Rub (available at Central Meats, your 
                     choice, hot or mild)
                      (Or your favorite Beef Rub)
1/2C              Bone Suckin' BBQ Sauce
2 TB             Apple Juice (or water)
2 TB             Vegetable Oil
 
Procedure:   

(Note: While the best tasting ribs are done on a bbq smoker, you can still make great ribs in the oven. Simply place a roasting rack over a pan to catch the juices, and cook your ribs on the rack!)

Rinse the ribs well under cold running tap water and pat dry with paper towels. Coat the ribs in vegetable oil and then apply the rub liberally to all surfaces of the ribs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for several hours.
 
Preheat your smoker or oven to 250 degrees. (If you are using a bbq smoker, it is important to try to maintain a stable 250 degrees during the entire cooking process. Also add several hickory wood chunks to your firebox for smoke flavor for the first 2 hours of the cooking.) Place the ribs on the cooking grate/rack, meat side up and allow to cook for 3 hours.
 
Remove the ribs from the smoker/oven, and wrap tightly in two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil, along with the apple juice. Return to the smoker/oven and cook 2 more hours.
 
Gently remove the foil packet from the oven, and open gently, being careful of escaping steam. The ribs will be very tender at this point, so work with them carefully to prevent then rack from breaking. Brush a liberal coating of BBQ Sauce on both sides, and return to the smoker/oven. Cook an additional 30 minutes, then recoat the top with more sauce, then cooking a final 30 minutes. If you prefer some char on your ribs, you can transfer them to a hot grill for or turn on your oven's broiler for several minutes.
 
Remove the ribs gently and place on a cutting board, covering loosely with aluminum foil. Allow the ribs to rest for 10 minutes before cutting apart and serving with more sauce.

Serves 2-3

Recipe By: Nelson Colwell, Pitmaster of Old Dominion Smokehouse Championship BBQ Team