Best Bourbon Plum Glazed Smoked Pork Ribs Recipe
Smoked pork ribs with a Polish-inspired dry rub of marjoram, caraway, and allspice, finished with a sticky plum bourbon glaze. Żeberka like you've never had them.
Save
Equipment
- Smoker or pellet grill
- Applewood or cherry wood chunks or pellets
- aluminum foil
- small saucepan
- Basting brush
- Instant-read thermometer
- cutting board and sharp knife
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Ribs
- 1 rack St. Louis-cut spare ribs about 2.5 to 3 lbs
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil for binding
- 2 teaspoons Morton salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon lightly crushed caraway seeds
- For smoking
- Applewood or cherry wood chunks or pellets
Plum Bourbon glaze
- ½ cup NCF Texas Plum Jam
- ¼ cup NCF Bourbon Molasses sauce
- 1 to 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons rib drippings to loosen
- 3 to 4 fresh plums halved and pitted
Instructions
- Remove 1 rack St. Louis-cut spare ribs from the fridge 30 to 45 minutes before placing them on the smoker. Pat them dry with paper towels.
- Flip the rack bone-side up. Slide a butter knife under the silverskin membrane along the bones, then grab it with a paper towel for a better grip and pull it off in one strip. This step is worth doing. The membrane turns tough and papery when smoked, blocking the rub from reaching the meat underneath.
- Rub the 1 tablespoon neutral oil over both sides of the rack. This acts as a binder, helping the rub adhere without altering the flavor.
- In a small bowl, combine the 2 teaspoons Morton salt, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons dried marjoram, 1 teaspoon onion powder,1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, and ½ teaspoon lightly crushed caraway seeds. Rub generously over both sides of the ribs, pressing the rub into the meat. Don't be shy. The bark forms from this layer.
- Preheat your smoker to 225°F and get the wood pellets smoking. Applewood produces a lighter, fruitier smoke. Cherry wood produces a slightly deeper smoke and pairs especially well with the plum glaze. Both work.
- Place the ribs bone-side down on the smoker grates. Close the lid and let them smoke undisturbed for 3 hours. Resist the urge to open the lid repeatedly.
- After 3 hours, remove the rack and check the bark. It should be set and dark. Wrap tightly in two layers of aluminum foil or butcher paper.
- Return the wrapped rack to the smoker, still at 225°F, and cook for another 2 hours. This is when the connective tissue breaks down and the ribs become tender.
- While the ribs are in the foil phase, make the glaze. Combine the ½ cup NCF Texas Plum Jam and the ¼ cup NCF Bourbon Molasses sauce in a small saucepan over low heat, then stir until combined. Add the 1 to 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar and taste. When the ribs come out of the foil in the next step, add 2 to 3 tablespoons rib drippings from the foil to the glaze and stir to loosen. This step ties the glaze to the rub.
- After 2 hours in foil, carefully open one end and check for tenderness. The meat should have pulled back slightly from the bones, and the rack should bend when you lift it in the middle. If it's still stiff, re-wrap and give it another 30 minutes..
- Unwrap and place the rack back on the smoker grates, bone-side down. Brush a generous layer of plum bourbon glaze over the top and sides. Close the lid and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Brush on a second coat of glaze, then let it set for another 15 minutes. You want it sticky and lacquered, not wet.
- While the second glaze sets, place the halved 3 to 4 fresh plums cut-side down, on the smoker grates. Let them cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until they soften and develop some color.
- Pull the ribs when the glaze is set and the internal temperature in the thickest part of the meat between the bones reads between 195°F and 203°F. Rest, loosely covered, for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Slice between the bones and serve with the charred plums alongside.
Notes
Let the rub sit - if you can season the rack of ribs the night before and let them rest uncovered in the fridge, the rub will penetrate deeper.
Don't rush the wrap - the foil (butcher paper) wrap phase is where the ribs go from tough to tender. You want to feel some give when you gently press the top of the rack through the foil.
Rest before cutting - five to ten minutes under a loose foil tent after they come off the smoker lets the juices redistribute
Nutrition
Serving: 3piecesCalories: 273kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 5gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 1386mgPotassium: 223mgFiber: 2gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 912IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!