Spiced and Smoked Ribs

I wasn't going to take a picture of this meal because I thought that I had messed it up, but it tasted soooo good that I took a picture anyway. It doesn't look pretty or like much of anything, but the flavor was really good. I'm great with meats, but I really wanted to try grilling some ribs. When I looked in the store for ribs, all I could find were some Southern Style cut ribs. I asked a nice older woman to help me pick them out and she told me they all looked a little fatty, but together we picked out the best package of the bunch and I was on my way.

When I got home I looked up a few recipes that I had in my books and picked one that didn't look too hard. When I showed the recipe to my friend Laura she said, "Oh no! Don't do that one!" and you remember what happened last time that I didn't take her advice? (Click Here if you need a reminder.) She then was very helpful and gave me some tips on what she would do. I even wrote them down with every intention of following her directions. :) And then I remembered that I had a Simply Perfect Grilling 1996: America's Best Barbecues by Better Homes and Gardens and found this recipe. It looked so yummy that I couldn't resist, and for once something turned out right!

I think I did butcher the meat though. The recipe sad to cut the ribs into serving-size pieces. Knowing how my family would react to any boney pieces I removed all of that and then my aversion to fat kept me cutting until there was just 1/3 of the package left to cook. *sighs* I don't think that was what the original recipe had in mind, but... Anyway, I also altered the cooking process just a little. I'll write what I did and you can find the original if you actually own hickory wood chips and know how to do the smoking part. This recipe takes a long time so think about it early so you have time.

Spiced and Smoked Ribs (sorry the picture looks so bad!)

* 4 pounds pork loin back ribs or meaty spareribs
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
*1 teaspoon five-spice powder (I couldn't find this, so used cinnamon as a substitute)
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1/4 teaspoon slat
* 1/4 teaspoon celery seed (I left out)
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper (I used the black pepper grill rub)
* 1/2 cup catsup
* 2 tablespoons light molasses (I only had dark)
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce

1. Cut ribs into serving-size pieces. Place ribs in a heavy pot. Add enough water to cover (this is where I added about 1 tablespoon liquid smoke). Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain; cool slightly.

2. For spice rub--Combine brown sugar, five-spice powder, paprika, salt, celery seed, and pepper in a small mixing bowl. When ribs are cool enough to handle, rub spice mixture over ribs. Place ribs in a baking dish and preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

3. For glaze--Combine catsup, molasses, lemon juice, and soy sauce in a small mixing bowl. Pour most of it over the ribs, stirring to coat evenly. Cover with foil and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.

4. Ten minutes before you are ready to sit down and eat, fire up the grill. Take the ribs out of the oven and grill them to get that yummy grilled taste and crispy bites.

This is what those little pocket things were. I had never tried them but they were really quite yummy. Notice the Low Fat on the box ;)