Ingredients
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Barbecue Sauce
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1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
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1 Onion
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Salt
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Black Pepper
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1 tablespoon smoked Paprika
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1½ cups Chicken broth
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¾ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
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¾ cup dark Corn Syrup
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¾ cup Ketchup
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½ cup Molasses
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2 tablespoons brown Mustard
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1 tablespoon Hot Sauce
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1 tablespoon instant Espresso Powder
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½ teaspoon Liquid Smoke
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Ribs
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3 tablespoons smoked Paprika
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2 tablespoons packed Brown Sugar
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1 tablespoon Salt
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1 teaspoon Black Pepper
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¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
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2 (2½ to 3-pound) racks St. Louis-style Spareribs
Directions
Barbecued ribs get their uniquely complex character from the slow mingling of flavors in meat, sauce, and smoke. We wanted to develop a recipe for indoor ribs that allowed these flavors to build without having to fire up the grill. We found that we could achieve great flavor and falloff-the-bone tenderness by first rubbing the ribs in a mixture of salt, pepper, brown sugar, smoked paprika, and a bit of cayenne and then slow-roasting them in a moderate oven for about 5 hours. During the first 2 hours in the oven we simply roasted the ribs to allow the spice rub to cook into the meat, and during the final stint in the oven, we built up layers of “bark” by painting the ribs with barbecue sauce. We tried different styles of sauce and found we got the most authentic barbecue flavor when we incorporated espresso powder, mustard, and liquid smoke into the traditional base of vinegar, ketchup, and molasses. Look for liquid smoke that contains no salt or additional flavorings.
Steps
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1
Done
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Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in broth, vinegar, corn syrup, ketchup, molasses, mustard, hot sauce, and espresso powder and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 2 cups, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Off heat, stir in liquid smoke and season with salt and pepper to taste. Measure out ½ cup sauce and set aside for serving. |
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2
Done
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For the RibsCombine paprika, sugar, salt, pepper, and cayenne in bowl. Pat ribs dry with paper towels. Rub evenly with spice mixture, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. |
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3
Done
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Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet. Place ribs, meat side up, on prepared sheet and bake for 2 hours. |
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4
Done
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Remove ribs from oven and brush top of each rack with ¼ cup barbecue sauce. Return ribs to oven and bake until tender and fork inserted into meat meets no resistance, 2½ to 3 hours longer, brushing with additional barbecue sauce every hour. |
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5
Done
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Remove ribs from oven, tent with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Slice meat between bones to separate ribs, and serve with reserved sauce. |
