GAS GRILL RIBS WITH AARON FRANKLIN BBQ SAUCE
There is a misconception that you need a smoker or charcoal grill to cook good ribs. You can easily accomplish this on a gas grill creating tender, delicious, flavourful ribs. Just make sure you have plenty of gas in the tank.
As a special bonus, this recipe includes a recipe for BBQ sauce which is used by Aaron "King of Barbecue" Franklin uses at his restaurant, Franklin BBQ. If I'm honest I was skeptical at first when there are so many ready made sauces readily available on whether the juice would be worth the squeeze. Well let me tell you that yes it most definitely is! Zing and sharp, this sauce is most definitely a winner for ribs.
Ingredients
For the Aaron Franklin BBQ sauce
- 2 tbsp fat beef fat, vegetable oil, lard, or bacon fat
- 1/3 large yellow or white onion roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 200 g light brown sugar
- 235 ml apple cider vinegar
- 500 g organic or all-natural ketchup
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 4 splashes Worcestershire sauce
For the ribs
- 1 rack pork ribs
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 2 tbsp Jack's Meat Dust or your favourite rub
- apple juice in a spray bottle
- 3 knobs butter
- 1 drizzle honey or maple syrup
Instructions
To make the BBQ sauce
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Melt the fat in a saucepan over a medium heat then add the chopped onion. Cook until the onion has gone clear. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes until the garlic has just started to crisp.
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Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar completely melts.
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Stir in the apple cider vinegar, ketchup, paprika, mustard, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly, then add the Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 1 more minute.
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Bang the sauce into a blender and blend at high speed until smooth.
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Transfer to a sauce bottle ready for use.
To cook the ribs
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Stabilise your gas BBQ at 135C.
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Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.
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Evenly coat the ribs with the hot sauce, this will help the rub adhere to the ribs.
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Evenly coat the ribs with your rub until you can no longer see any of the flesh.
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Allow the ribs to stand for 15 minutes for the rub to penetrate.
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Place the ribs on indirect heat (the opposite side to the burners which are producing the heat). If you wish at this point add a pellet tube to create additional smoke which will enhance the smokey flavour.
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Close the lid and return in one hour to spray with apple juice to keep the ribs moist.
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Allow the ribs to cook for a further hour. Place a long piece of foil on a work bench with enough overlap to wrap the ribs. Place the ribs in the centre and add the butter and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. This will help the ribs to become moist and tender. Cover the ribs with the foil ensuring that they are completely covered.
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Place back on the grill on indirect heat for a further 2 hours.
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Remove the ribs from the grill, at this point the ribs should be tender and flexible. Unwrap the ribs leaving the foil underneath and glaze with the BBQ sauce.
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Place the ribs and foil back on the grill for a final 15 minutes to heat the BBQ sauce.
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Finally remove the ribs, slice and serve!
Recipe Notes
At fours hours you can check the bendyness of your ribs by lifting them whilst still in the foil and seeing how they react. They should be flexible and not stiff. If they are a bit stiff allow a further half hour of cooking whilst wrapped before checking again, continuing this process until they are nice and bendy. Timings will always depend on the size of your meat and weather conditions. Low and slow cooking times at the Shack are for guidance.
