When you get to be in your later years….. whatever that is for you, 40’s, 50’s, 70’s or if you’re lucky enough and that means your 80’s or 90’s, it gets tiresome sometimes to make meals. Maybe not the actual making of them but for sure coming up with things to make. I think that’s why people like to go out so much, it’s just difficult to try to think of what to eat every. single. day. for dinner and never mind adding lunch and/or breakfast! Sometimes a new toy is just what one needs to be able to find some inspiration. For me this last year during lockdown that new toy has been a smoker; but not just any smoker, the Big Green Egg. This baby checks all the boxes, smoker, BBQ, pizza oven….and much needed inspiration to try some new things and redo some old favourites.
It’s not difficult to work the Egg, just two sliders that manage the airflow and consequently the temperature inside, probably one of the least technical devices I own but oh oh so much fun. Today’s adventure with the Egg includes two recipes, one of our long time favourites Jack Daniels Baby Back Ribs recipes and because giving you an old favourite I already posted here feels a little like cheating I’ve added another I found recently and really caters to my love of spicy foods, Ricardo’s Ribs jacked up even more in the smoker! You can go back to either of those links but I’ll add Richard’s here for convince and for me to always have available.
Prepare Richard’s Ribs by mixing up the rub ingredients and covering the ribs in the spice mix.
Richardo’s Rub Mix (with minor alterations)
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon child powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Mix the ingredients in a bowl, if you compare, I’ve cut down on the salt, increased the onion powder and added garlic powder because really, you can NEVER go wrong with garlic powder. Let the ribs sit covered overnight or rub them first thing in the morning to have ready for smoking later in the day. You can also salt and pepper the Jack Daniels Ribs and set them aside for when you’re ready to smoke them.
Richardo’s BBQ sauce (slightly altered)
- 1 teaspoon chilies powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 3/4 cup blueberry jelly (any kind really works here)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Tabasco sauce or Sriracha to taste (spice level)
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir simmering gently for about 5 minutes or until it thickens to a syrup consistency. Set aside for use on the ribs.
Set up your smoker letting it reach 225 – 240 degrees F. Have the sauces ready to go and set your ribs on the grill. You can add applewood chips into the smoker, they work really well with both recipes.
Smoke the ribs for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours then slather them with the sauce and grill the sauce to a finish, serve with the balance of the sauces. The internal temperature of the ribs needs to reach 145 degrees F or to 190 – 200* F for all the fat and collagens to melt making them super juicy and melt in your mouth!
Allow the ribs to sit for 10 minutes before cutting into and serving them. Save any remaining sauce for next time! I often double or triple the sauce and store extra in jars in the freezer.
Bon Appetite!
