Description
Smoked Asian Sticky Ribs, adapted from HeyGrillHey.com
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 racks of baby back ribs
Asian-Style BBQ Rub
- 4 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 Tbsp Chinese 5 spice powder
- 1 Tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground mustard
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Braising Liquid
- 1 C hoisin sauce
- 1/2 C soy sauce
- 1/2 C orange juice
- 1/2 C brown sugar
- 1/4 C rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 C white grape juice or apple juice
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 3-inch fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
- 6 scallion whites, diced
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
Sticky BBQ Sauce
- 10 oz red pepper jelly
- 1/2 C apple cider vinegar
Garnishes
- sesame seeds to taste
- 6 scallion greens cut on a diagonal
- 1–2 fresh serrano peppers, sliced into thin coins (optional, but highly recommended!)
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 250°F (121°C). Use your Smoke X2 to set high- and low-temp alarms on either side of your target temperature to make sure you keep smoking at the right temp.
- Combine ingredients for the rub in a bowl.
- Prepare the ribs by removing the membrane from the back.
- Coat the ribs all over with the rub.
- Place the ribs in the smoker and smoke for 2 hours (set the time on a big, loud timer so you don’t miss the alarm). We’re monitoring the meat and air temps with a Smoke thermometer. Set the high air alarm to 275°F (135°C), low alarm at 225°F (107°C). Set the meat high alarm for 175°F (79°C)—that’s not a pull temp, we just want to monitor it and make sure it doesn’t get too hot during the cook.
- When time is almost up, combine the ingredients for the braising liquid.
- Remove the ribs from heat and place meat-side-down in an aluminum pan.
- Increase the heat in your smoker to 325°F (163°C).
- Pour braising liquid into the pan, being sure that some gets on the backs of the ribs.
- Insert a thermometer probe into the ribs between the bones.
- Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
- Place the pan in the smoker and cook.
- Set the high alarm on your Smoke’s meat channel to 203°F (95°C). Set the air-temp channel alarm with a range from 300°F (149°C) to 350°F (177°C).
- Cook until the alarm sounds and the ribs are at temperature and the alarm sounds, about another 2-3 hours. Verify the ribs’ temperature with your Thermapen ONE.
- Once the high-temp alarm sounds for the ribs, remove the pan from heat.
- Remove the ribs to a cutting board.
- In a saucepan, mix the ingredients for the sticky BBQ sauce with the braising liquid.
- Boil the BBQ sauce until reduced by 1/3.
- Heat your smoker to 450°F (232°C) or fire up your grill, and set up for direct cooking.
- Cut the ribs apart with a sharp knife.
- Dip each rib in the thickened BBQ sauce and place on the grill grate to caramelize.
- Turn each rib so that the sides get equally sticky.
- Remove ribs from the grill. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced scallions and chilies.
