Kansas City Barbecue Ribs

Ingredients

• 2 racks pork spare ribs, about 1.3kg each
• 4 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 250ml apple juice, in a spray bottle
• 300ml passata
• 4 tbsp tomato puree
• 80ml cider vinegar
• 80ml molasses or dark treacle
• 3 tbsp dark brown sugar, for the sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Hickory wood chunks

Before you cook

• Slide a knife under the membrane on the bone side of each rack and pull it off with a paper towel for grip
• Trim any loose flaps of meat and square off the racks
• Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, cayenne and celery salt to make the rub
• Coat both racks all over with the rub and leave them at room temperature for 45 minutes

Steps

1. Set up your smoker or a covered barbecue for indirect cooking at 110C and add a couple of hickory chunks.
2. Lay the racks bone side down on the grate away from the coals and close the lid.
3. Smoke the ribs for 3 hours, spritzing them with apple juice every 45 minutes once the bark has set.
4. While the ribs smoke, simmer the passata, tomato puree, vinegar, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire and smoked paprika in a saucepan for 20 minutes until thick and glossy, then set the sauce aside.
5. Wrap each rack tightly in foil with a splash of apple juice and return them to the smoker for 1 hour.
6. Unwrap the racks carefully, keeping your face away from the steam, and check that the meat has pulled back about 1cm from the bone ends.
7. Brush the ribs all over with the barbecue sauce and put them back on the grate unwrapped.
8. Cook the sauced ribs for a final 30 minutes, brushing on a second coat halfway through, until the glaze is tacky rather than wet.
9. Test for doneness by lifting a rack with tongs at one end, looking for the surface to crack but not fall apart.
10. Rest the racks for 10 minutes, then cut down between the bones into individual ribs and serve with the remaining sauce.