Smoky, sticky, juicy and straight-up delicious, barbecue ribs are the perfect way to introduce people to meat cooked low and slow in the southern American style, according to the folk at Longview Vineyard in the Adelaide Hills.
They cook theirs in a Yoder Smoker from Kansas, using hickory pellets over four to five hours at very low heat. However, you can make them at home in the oven or the barbie and still get that smoky, fall-off-the-bone goodness.
Longview Vineyard BBQ Ribs
Ingredients
4 racks pork baby back ribs, about 3-4kg (despite what you read, don’t trim the fat and don’t par-boil them to soften the fat!)
Two 330ml bottles (stubbies) of good dark beer
*Liquid smoke
**Good BBQ sauce
For the rub mix:
2 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried oregano
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Method
Combine rub ingredients in a bowl. It will make little over half a cup (if there’s any left over, it can be used for many other things).
Rub the ribs on both sides with spice rub and leave them to sit for a while.
Line a roasting pan with aluminium foil and place ribs on top. (Use two pans or a shallow dish if necessary, it’s only to marinate them.)
Cover the rubbed ribs with the dark beer (Coopers best Extra Stout works well), add a few shakes of liquid smoke and wrap with the foil. Marinate in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 160C.
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Remove the ribs from the marinade and bring to room temperature. Discard the beer (sorry).
Line a baking sheet with foil, lay the ribs on top and wrap the ribs tightly in the foil.
Cook for 2 hours.
Remove ribs from oven and uncover.
Heat a grill (or a BBQ in our language) to medium-high heat.
Place the ribs onto the hot barbecue grill and brush ribs with a good BBQ sauce so that it caramelises onto the ribs.
Cook over heat for 6-8 minutes on each side.
Remove from barbecue and serve with coleslaw, cornbread or your favourite accompaniment and additional BBQ sauce on the side. Lots of napkins are in order.
It’s best to enjoy these ribs with Longview Vineyard’s Yakka Shiraz, as you’ll need a wine that has plenty of spice to go toe to toe with the bold flavours of the ribs. The intense berry juiciness and long acidity of a cool-climate shiraz will cut through the fattiness and create the perfect balance on the palate. Drink it in a tumbler!
* You can either buy liquid smoke online or find a good specialist store that sells it. (Chilli Mojo on Magill Road is the best in SA for this stuff.) All you need is a few drops and it makes your meat taste like it was smoked in a Mississippi juke joint.
** Don’t use Aussie BBQ sauce – it’s too simplistic. You can make your own BBQ sauce (just search for recipes online) or find one at a speciality store. Those with a bit of smoke flavour and some chilli spice work best.
Longview Vineyard will be hosting a “Hill Country” event featuring a southern American-style barbecue and blues tunes as part of the Adelaide Hills Winter Reds Festival on July 26-27.
