Editor’s Note: To read an interview with Marc Glosserman, the owner of Hill Country Hospitality, click HERE.
MAKES 4 -8 SERVINGS
Grilling Method: Indirect/Medium-Low Heat
Ingredients:
Post Oak or other favorite wood such as Applewood chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes
4 racks spare ribs or St. Louis Cut Ribs, about 3 pounds each
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions:
Build a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Set up the grill for indirect heat; if using wood chips, place the soaked chips directly on the charcoal, or in the smoking box of a gas grill.
Remove the silver skin from the back of the ribs, if desired.
In a small bowl, mix the salt, pepper and cayenne pepper together and sprinkle the ribs liberally with the mixture.
Place the ribs, bone-side down, in the center of the cooking grate, or in a rib holder or rack, over indirect medium-low heat. Grill covered (at about 325°F, if your gas grill has a thermometer) for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat is tender and has pulled back from the ends of the rib bones.
Leave the ribs unattended for the first 30 minutes-this means no peeking; especially important if using wood chips. If the ribs start to burn on the edges, stack them on top of one another in the very center of the grill and lower the heat slightly. Twenty minutes before serving, un-stack if necessary and “if you gotta have it,” brush the ribs with the barbecue sauce. Note: In Texas Hill Country, they don’t use sauce—they let the meat speak for itself!
Remove the ribs from the grill; let them rest for 10 minutes before cutting into individual or 2-3 rib portions.
Recipe adapted from Taming the Flame by Elizabeth Karmel, executive chef of Hill Country Chicken
