When tailgating for race day, having perfect pork ribs is essential. Everyone loves tender and juicy ribs that are sweet and spicy all at the same time, but how do you achieve that? If you are like me, then you are always looking for a high-quality rib recipe that is easy to make and perfect for race day. While cheering on my boy No. 10 Aric Almirola, I will be making my brand-new Molasses Espresso Spareribs using the Smithfield Extra Tender St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs.
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How Do I Make Pork Spareribs?
There are tons of ways to make ribs. Some people like it Hot & Fast while others like it Low & Slow. For this Molasses Espresso St. Louis Style Spareribs recipe, I will be cooking them Low & Slow to make them extra tender and full of flavor.
I follow the simple 3-2-1 cooking style for ribs. I will season them with a ground espresso based dry rub, then let them cook over a low temperature in the smoker for 3 hours. Next, I will pull them off and lather them in butter, brown sugar and molasses. This part is crucial as this is the beginning layer of flavor for the spareribs. After I season the ribs, I will wrap them up in tin foil and place them back on the smoker for 2 more hours.
Lastly, I will unwrap the ribs and place them on the smoker bone side down. I will then lather them in the Molasses Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce found below and let them cook for 1 more hour, allowing extra time to caramelize the outside of the ribs. Finally, I will pull them off the grill and let them rest in a cooler for 30 minutes before I slice into them.
Why These Ribs for Bristol Race Day?
Smoking over the fire on race day is quintessential to the whole experience. While the drivers focus in on the race, I see cooking the ribs as my chance to channel that focus and excitement. Ribs are simple to make when you have the right ingredients and gear, they are extremely simple.
Using the Smithfield Extra Tender St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs really helps you get ahead of the pack because they are hand trimmed, extra tender, and made with 100% fresh pork – Smithfield takes care of all the hard work for you! Also, an added bonus is that you can easily find them (as well as Beef Ribs and Spareribs) at your local Walmart! In the end, you really only have to choose which rub and sauce you want to make, and you will come in first place!
So try my new Molasses Espresso St. Louis Style Spareribs recipe below or look at other Smithfield options here and see what winning tastes like!!!
Also…
Enter to win…
The Smithfield Get Grilling sweepstakes now!!! Smithfield is teaming up with Walmart to get people just like you grilling on race day and all summer long. From now until September 2nd, follow this link (sweepstakes link) and take a quick quiz to see if you are #TeamFast or #TeamSlow. Two grand prize winners – one from #TeamFast and one from #TeamSlow – will each win a $500 Walmart gift card. Plus, 50 first prize winners with get a $50 Walmart gift card. Click the link here now!
Molasses Espresso St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs
Equipment
- Smoker/Indirect Grill, Charcoal/Wood, Tin Foil & Gloves.
Ingredients
For St. Louis Style Spareribs:
- 2 Smithfield Extra Tender St. Louis Style Spareribs trimmed & back layer removed
- 1.5 tbsp of Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp of Ground Espresso
- 1 tbsp of Brown Sugar
- 3 tsp of Onion Powder
- 3 tsp of Salt
- 2 sticks of Butter unsalted
- 2 tbsp of Molasses
- 2 tbsp of Brown Sugar
For Molasses Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce:
- ½ cup of Ketchup
- 2 tbsp of Molasses
- 1.5 tbsp of Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp of Cayenne Powder
- 2 tsp of Black Pepper
- 2 tsp of Salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the black pepper, ground espresso, brown sugar, onion powder and salt for the dry rub. Season the ribs thoroughly with the dry rub and let sit for 30 minutes in fridge.
- Light the fire in your smoker/indirect grill and bring it up to a consistent 225Place ribs on grill, bone side down, and let cook for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, pull ribs off the grill. Lay 3 pieces of tin foil down then add 3 segmented tablespoons of butter separated out evenly on top of the foil. Top the butter with brown sugar and some molasses. Add one rack of ribs on top of the butter, brown sugar and molasses spread; then, repeat by adding more butter, brown sugar and molasses on top of ribs. Fold tin foil to cover ribs and repeat this step for any additional ribs you have.
- Add ribs back to the smoker and cook for 2 more hours at 225F.
- About 30 minutes before the ribs are done cooking for the additional 2 hours, preheat a BBQ sauce pan and add all the ingredients for the Molasses Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce. Let simmer over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes, be careful not to burn, and then pull off heat source.
- Once ribs have cooked for 2 hours, pull ribs off smoker and carefully unwrap from the tin foil. Place them back on the grill, bone side down, and lather in the Molasses Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce. Close smoker and let cook for 1 hour.
- When the ribs are finally complete, pull them off of the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes, ideally in a cooler. Slice and enjoy!
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