The following is a recipe for spareribs that have been soaked in a spicy citrus brine and then grilled over indirect heat for about an hour.
Why Use a Brine for Ribs?
Brining is a useful technique in this case, as it’s easy to overcook pork ribs on a grill, but because the brine plumps up the meat with extra moisture, the ribs are still tender and don’t get as dried out, even if you do end up overcooking them a little. This recipe is adapted from Andrew Schloss’ and David Joachim’s Mastering the Grill: The Owner’s Manual for Outdoor Cooking. A meat thermometer is the most accurate way to determine doneness. Ribs are done when the thermometer reads 155°F. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, pick up a rack with tongs in its center. If the rack of ribs starts to fold over and the ribs start to separate, they’re done. You can also put a toothpick into the meat in several different spots. If the toothpick slides in and out easily, the ribs are done.
Sides That Are Perfect With Grilled Ribs!
Grilled Corn on the Cob No Mayo Coleslaw Classic Potato Salad Potato Skins Hurricane Cocktail
2 racks of ribs St. Louis-cut spareribs or baby back ribs, (about 4 pounds) Oil for the grill grate
For the brine:
1 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 3 oranges) 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons) 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (1-2 limes) 1/4 cup water 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the glaze:
1 cup bourbon 1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons butter
Place liquids in a medium sized bowl, add other brine ingredients—salt, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Stir for half a minute until the salt has completely dissolved. Cut the racks in half. Put in a plastic zip top freezer bag. Add the brine to the bag. Squeeze the excess air out of the bag and seal. Massage the brine into the ribs. Place the bag of brine and ribs into a bowl (in case there is leakage) and place into the refrigerator. Refrigerate in the brine for 3 to 6 hours. Note that brining too long can over-saturate the meat with the brine. So stick within the 3 to 6 hour time frame. For a kettle grill with charcoal, use 3 to 4 pounds of briquets pushed to one side of the grill. An aluminum disposable drip pan set next to the briquets, underneath where the meat will be, will help keep your grill easier to clean. (I forgot this time, notice no drip pan in the photo, and now the grill’s a mess.) If you are using a gas grill, lower the burners so that you are maintaining a temperature of about 300°F to 325°F in the grill. If you are charcoal grilling, cover the grill so that the air vent on the kettle top is directly over the ribs. This way smoke from the charcoal will waft its way over the ribs on the way out of the grill. Adjust the vents so that the air flow is much reduced. Reducing the size of the air vents is a way to help control the temperature in the grill and keep it low. Fire lives off of oxygen, so if you reduce the oxygen, you reduce the amount of burning and heat. If you close the vents too much, the charcoals will put out too little heat, so the trick is to maintain a balance - enough air flow to keep the coals alive, but not too much or the grill will run too hot and your ribs will overcook. Try to maintain a temperature of about 300°F to 325°F in the grill. If you are using a charcoal grill that doesn’t have a built-in thermometer, you can put a meat thermometer through the grill air vent to take a reading of the temp. Check for doneness using a meat thermometer after 15 to 20 more minutes. They are done and ready to pull off at 155°F, but you want to get to them 10 minutes or so before they are done to apply the glaze. Note that depending on the amount of heat in the grill and the size of your ribs, the ribs could be done in as little as 45 minutes or as long as 90 minutes. If the grill temperature stays more at about 350°F, then the ribs will be done faster. It’s hard to maintain a charcoal grill lower than 350°F, though ideally for these ribs you do want the temp lower, closer to 300°F. Also note again that baby backs are smaller than St. Louis style and will cook faster.
