Smoked Pork Ribs with North Carolina BBQ Sauce

Votes: 1

Time: 7 hours plus marinating time
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4

This smoking recipe uses pork ribs removed from the belly. Although they are less meaty and contain more connective tissue, a dry marinade and a special smoking mixture will make the ribs incredibly flavorful, juicy, and delicious. If desired, you can, of course, substitute them with more expensive and meaty pork loin ribs.

Serve with North Carolina sauce, one of the many types of barbecue sauces that has a more mustardy flavor than tomato-based ones.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Smoking mixture

2 even rectangular cuts of pork ribs, 12 ribs each, remove the connecting membrane
A mix of hickory and apple wood chips
1 liter of apple cider
North Carolina BBQ Sauce, recipe below

North Carolina BBQ Sauce

1/4 cup canola oil
2 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. ketchup
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup poblano chili powder
2 tbsp paprika
2/3 cup Dijon mustard
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons molasses

Dry marinade for rubbing

1/4 cup chili powder with poblano pepper
2 tbsp paprika
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tbsp mustard powder
2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 tbsp. ground coriander
1 tbsp. l. dried oregano
1 tbsp. l. ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground chile de árbol
1/4 cup canola oil
Mix all the spices in a small bowl.

Glaze for frying meat

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. l. brown sugar
0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
A few drops of hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 tbsp. salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Dry marinade for rubbing.

Brush both sides of the ribs with oil and rub with the seasoning mixture. Then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
Smoking mixture.

In a large saucepan, bring all the smoking mixture ingredients to a simmer over low heat. Cook until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then cool to room temperature.

Remove the ribs from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for 45 minutes. Fill the smoker with a mixture of hickory and applewood chips according to the package directions. Preheat the smoker to 220°F (105°C). Pour the mixture into a small drip pan. apple cider and place in the smokehouse.
Place the ribs on the smoker grate and smoke for 6 hours, basting them with the prepared roasting mixture every hour for the first 5 hours. During the last hour of smoking, baste the ribs every 10 minutes. North Carolina-style barbecue sauce.
When the ribs are done, transfer them to a platter and serve.

Recipe Pork shoulder with a North Carolina smoky flavor.

North Carolina BBQ Sauce

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Then pour in the ketchup and water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Then let the sauce cool for 5 minutes.

Carefully pour the mixture into a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a bowl. Cool to room temperature. The sauce can be refrigerated in a tightly sealed container for up to a week.