Ribs from the kettle grill/smokenator

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 ribs (baby back ribs), halved and freed from the silver skin
• Rub of your choice, preferably one for pork
• 200 ml apple juice or honey water
• 2 cups ketchup
• ½ cup sugar, brown
• ½ cup honey
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp mustard
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp pepper, black ground
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• Smoking chips

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 6 hours; Total time approx. 1 day 7 hours

Grilled according to the 3-2-1 method

The day before, rub the prepared ribs liberally with your chosen rub and vacuum seal, or wrap them in two layers of cling film. Let them marinate overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, preheat the kettle grill with the Smokenator. Fill the Smokenator with briquettes and finally, add about 6 fully lit briquettes to the unlit ones in the Smokenator. Sprinkle on two handfuls of smoking wood chips. Instead of the small water tray that comes with the Smokenator, I use a large dish, wrap it in aluminum foil, and fill it with water. I place it on the charcoal grate. This keeps the desired low temperature relatively stable. Close the kettle grill and wait until a stable temperature of about 120°C is reached. Arrange the ribs upright on two rib racks (or use the IKEA racks) and place them on the indirect part of the grill grate. Grill for three hours, ensuring that the temperature remains relatively constant. If necessary, adjust the vents to level out the ribs. After three hours, wrap the ribs individually in aluminum foil and drizzle each with a little apple juice. Grill for another two hours. Meanwhile, prepare the finishing glaze. Heat all ingredients in a saucepan while stirring and let it simmer briefly. After two hours in aluminum foil, unwrap the ribs, place them on the grill (still indirectly), and coat them with the glaze. Over the next hour, coat them 2-3 more times, increasing the temperature if necessary (opening the vents). The ribs should take on a nice, shiny, dark color, and the glaze should dry. After that, they’re ready to eat; the ribs are juicy, tender, and fall-off-the-bone. Enjoy the remaining glaze as a sauce with the ribs. I have a water smoker and a smokenator. The smokenator requires a little more supervision, but it can almost keep up with the water smoker.