Four-Stage Barbecue Ribs

Name: Four-Stage Barbecue Ribs
Yield: serves 4 to 6
Ingredients: 2 slabs of Loin back ribs; 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar; 2 tablespoons paprika; 1 tablespoon garlic salt; 1 1/2 teaspoons onion salt; 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder; 3/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper; 3/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/4 teaspoon white pepper; 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin; 3/4 cup grape juice; 3/4 cup apple juice; 2 tablespoons first-stage rub; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 3/4 cup Big Bob Gibson Championship red sauce (available at retail outlets) or your favorite bottled brand; 1/4 cup honey

December 9, 2011

In 2001, I made my first national television appearance on Food Network’s Cooking Live with Sara Moulton. I received the invitation after doing a morning radio show with Sara at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. Her only stipulation was that my recipes needed to be cooked in an indoor oven. I have always maintained that any recipe written for the kitchen can be duplicated outdoors with more flavor; here my challenge was to prove the opposite holds true as well. I developed a four-stage rib recipe that layers flavors to make up for the extra punch you can only get from cooking with burning coals. It was pretty successful, but changing the recipe back to the outdoor cooker gives these ribs the best of both worlds.

Recipe notes

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