BBQ Ribs

Inspired by Aaron Franklin - Austin, TX

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Before we get started, let me level with you. These are not to the level found at Franklin’s Barbecue in Austin, Texas. Franklin’s serves the best barbecue I’ve ever had in my life and without a true wood smoker and years of experience, it’s not something you can achieve at home. That being said, you can still make some mighty tasty ribs using equipment most people already have. I was able to do so in my friend’s backyard, using a barrel grill (with smoker box) and Aaron Franklin’s rib sauce recipe alongside some of his cooking tips. These turned out phenomenal given our amateur constraints.

This recipe is inspired by the Aaron Franklin MasterClass. It has been adapted for a typical backyard grill and also takes advantage of a family dry rub I enjoy rather than a blend of only salt and pepper as Aaron recommends. If you live elsewhere, or have better equipment, you may express better ways of doing what follows. For those of us constrained by urban living, this recipe is for you.

INGREDIENTS

BBQ RIB SAUCE:

  • 2 TBS lard (or oil)

  • ⅓ large onion, chopped

  • 4 garlic cloves

  • 1 cup light brown sugar

  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 2 cups organic ketchup (non-organic will burn too much in smoker because of added sugar)

  • 1 tsp smoked paprika

  • 1 tsp mustard powder

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1 tsp black pepper

  • 4 dashes Worcestershire sauce

BBQ DRY RUB (makes almost 1 cup):

  • ¼ cup paprika

  • 2 TBS salt

  • 1 TBS mustard powder

  • 2 TBS chili powder

  • 2 TBS cumin

  • 1 TBS black pepper

  • 2 TBS garlic powder

  • 1 TBS cayenne pepper

ADDITIONAL NEEDS:

  • Pork spare ribs (1 rack is about 4 lbs and will typically come with about 12 individual ribs - purchase based on your needs)

  • Dijon mustard

  • Apple cider vinegar or apple juice

  • Wood or wood chips for smoking

GO FOR IT

BBQ RIBS SAUCE:

  1. In a sauce pan, heat lard over medium heat then add onion and saute until translucent (about 6 minutes)

  2. Add garlic and cook until it begins to brown (about 3 additional minutes)

  3. Add brown sugar and stir until a glaze forms (another 2 to 3 minutes)

  4. Add in apple cider vinegar, organic ketchup, smoked paprika, mustard powder, salt, and pepper then simmer on low until sauce thickens (about 5 minutes)

  5. Add Worcestershire sauce, then stir and simmer 1 additional minute

  6. Using an immersion blender, blender, or food processor, blend sauce until smooth

  7. Allow to cool before placing in heat-resistant containers (will last in refrigerator for 1 month)

BBQ DRY RUB:

  1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk together

SMOKING RIBS:

  1. Slather bone side of ribs with mustard and then sprinkle well with dry rub

  2. Turn over and repeat on meatier side of ribs

  3. Heat a smoker to 265°F

  4. Smoke ribs uncovered for 2 hours (spritz with apple cider vinegar or apple juice each hour)

  5. After 2 hours, slather your ribs with BBQ sauce and continue to smoke for 1 hour

  6. After 3 hours total, remove your ribs and take note. If they are looking dry or the sauce is burning, turn down your smoker heat to about 225°F for the remainder or this endeavor. Otherwise proceed as normal

  7. Wrap ribs completely in foil (spritz your foil with more apple cider vinegar before laying ribs on top - then also spritz top of ribs one last time before sealing foil with the seam on top)

  8. Smoke ribs an additional 3 hours (if you have a temperature probe - we are aiming for internal temperature of 165°F)

  9. When 6 hours total is complete, remove ribs from smoker and allow to rest still wrapped in foil for 30 minutes before carefully unwrapping and cutting

NOTES:

Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Not everyone has a smoker but if you have a grill of any sorts, then you can find a way to work this out. If you have a gas grill, soak your wood chips in a foil pan, place the pan directly on burner on one side of your grill and put your wings on the other side with no heat. If you have a charcoal grill you should still place your wings on the cool side, but your wood can go directly on the coals. I made these using a barrel charcoal grill with a smoker box using both soak chips and coals. You can easily look up the best method for your personal grill. Just don’t go thinking you can’t smoke good ribs without a barbecue grade smoker.

I was able to find ribs that had already been trimmed. If yours are not you will want to do so to remove the membrane and silver skin. A good guide can be found on the spruce eats.

While I did use Aaron’s rib sauce, I wouldn’t recommend it for dipping. It has a very large concentrate of apple cider vinegar in it that will help break down your ribs, making then nice, tender, and juicy. Aaron seems to mix half this sauce with another half of more apple cider vinegar to slather onto the ribs but I opted not to and found the results to be just fine. However, if you do want a more traditional Texas rub rather than using what I’ve provided then all you need to do is make a mixture that is 2 parts salt and 1 part black pepper and you’re all set.