Apple Cider Ribs (Chris Lilly)


 
Chris Allingham

Chris Allingham

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Apple Cider Ribs

Makes: 4-6 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours, 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 slabs loin back ribs (baby back)
1 cup KC Masterpiece® Original Barbecue Sauce

Dry Rub
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons garlic salt
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Liquid Seasoning
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup apple jelly
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry rub mix (above)

Remove the membrane from the back of the rib slabs. In a small bowl, combine the dry rub ingredients and mix well. Reserve one tablespoon of the rub for the liquid seasoning mixture. Generously apply the dry rub onto the front and back sides of ribs. Gently pat to ensure that the rub will adhere.

Build a charcoal fire for indirect cooking by situating the coals on only one side of the grill, leaving the other side void. Add a small aluminum pan to the void side of the grill and fill it halfway with water. When the charcoal grill reaches 250 degrees Fahrenheit, place ribs meat-side up on grill grate and cook over indirect heat for two hours and 15 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the grill. Place each slab meat-side down on its own doubled aluminum foil square. The foil should be large enough to completely wrap each slab. Mix the liquid seasoning in a small bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of the liquid over each slab. Then, tightly wrap and seal each slab with aluminum foil. Place the wrapped ribs back in cooker for one hour at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the ribs from the charcoal grill, unwrap, and discard foil. Brush finishing glaze on both sides of the ribs. Place the ribs back on the grill for 15 minutes, or until sauce caramelizes.

Recipe created by champion pitmaster, Chris Lilly, on behalf of Kingsford® charcoal
 
This looks REALLY familiar
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. Sounds great, I'd like to try this.

About the apple cider ingrediant, do you think he means the 6% alcohol sparkling hard apple cider or the sweet non-alcohol non carbonated kind? I'm thinking the latter.

Hmmm, I've got powdered apple cider too that could go in the rub if the apple flavor needs any help. Most of it is only on for half hour then dumped.
 
Originally posted by Shawn W:
Ok thanks Chris, 'Apple cider' here usually refers to alcoholized stuff (sparkling or not, see here for example) ... was just wondering.
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Shawn, Apple cider here in the states is usually this Link for you but not always. But here in Amish town, apple cider is just pressed apples with some pulp, non filtered. HTH
 
That does help.

Funny, it's yet another version of apple cider to me. In addition to alcohol ciders here, there is soft cider which is dealcoholized and I remember apple and cherry cider from roadside fruit stands growing up. They were quite sweet, dark, clear, had a real different taste ... certainly a different animal again than what wiki is showing as cider. They were the best part of those long road trips in the family vehicle to BC for summer vacation.

Anyhow, I know what to use, so thnxs Bryan.
 
I made these yesterday using large back ribs (3 racks over 9lbs).

I didn't like my rub too much, I doubled the recipe and subbed half the brown sugar for powdered hot apple cider drink. I think it would have been just fine except for the off taste from the powdered drink mix. Omitted crushed red peper & salt, used mix of fresh ground aleppo and ancho for chile powder, granulated garlic instead of garlic salt and celery pepper. Salted the ribs prior to putting rub on.

I really liked the 'liquid seasoning' though (used apple juice, no other changes). I plan on trying it again without my addition.
 
I made some "Apple City Apple Ribs" about 2 weeks ago out of the "Smoke and Spice" book to the exact recipie, sauce and all. Those in my opinion were not good (although they sounded unique and tasty just by reading) but now that I know what I didn't like about them, and reading this recipie, this sounds simpler, and better, I'm gonna make these next time I do ribs. Can't wait. Whoever else tries these please post and lets here what you thought
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. Thanks for the recipie.
Shawn 1-10 what did you think (that is when you try the exact recepie). Looks like they lean tword the sweeter side (which is fine w/ me, I like all kinds) correct? thanks again.
*one more thing, is the "finishing glaze" the K.C.? Thanks. I may try to re-arrange that if it is, for every time I've used it I havn't been real fond of it, although it wasn't "bad." problem is how... anyone got any ideas that would kind of fit in the recipie? I'm not real hot w/ inventing glazes unfortunatly, what you think shawn/ guys?
 
is the "finishing glaze" the K.C.?
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Ya I guess so. I can't buy that sauce here, I used some Head Country Hot courtesy of my pusher, I mixed it about 50/50 with apple jelly. I like using my habanero jelly or honey. It doesn't need to be as sweet as 50/50. Warm it up together just enough to melt the jelly/honey and mix it together.

This is what I do ... grill up the ribs indirect on a medium grill to crisp up the outside some (both sides). Meat side down first brush the back side, give it a minute or two for the glaze to set, then flip and apply on the meat side. Too much heat will completely burn the sauce and it can happen real fast ... you have to be quite quick if the grill is hot.

You can flip once more if you like, I do this, I like the sauce to be cooked on and get just a bit dark ... you can repeat this several times if you like building up layers of sauce in this manner. Can finish with a wet layer on top too.

If you don't like K.C use your fav sauce. If you'd like less sweet skip adding honey/jelly. HTH
 
I just finished 2 racks and my wife and I both agree they are the best I have done.My wife likes them sweet and they were-are.
 
Remove the ribs from the charcoal grill, unwrap, and discard foil. Brush finishing glaze on both sides of the ribs. Place the ribs back on the grill for 15 minutes, or until sauce caramelizes.
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The finishing glaze mentioned in the recipe...is that more of the liquid seasoning or a seperate glaze or just BBQ sauce?
 
Ok I am looking for some help here. I have done all kinds of recipes with success. I tried this recipe today and followed it to a T yet my ribs were not tender or fall off the bone. I did it on my Performer, not sure if that matters because my temps stayed constant.

In fact every rib recipe has been a bit of a bummer, not terrible but not tender enough. Please help, this site has been so helpful, hopefully I figure out what I am doing wrong.

Thanks,
Eric
 
The problem with this - and many other recipes - is that it specifies times. That's fine as far as it goes but it doesn't go far enough.

If your ribs aren't tender they're not being cooked long enough. For tender, juicy ribs, cook till a probe inserted between the bones goes in like it's going into soft butter. For fall-off-the-bone ribs try increasing the time in foil to 90 minutes, then continue with the recipe. Then use the probe test, as noted, to be sure they are tender.
 
Thanks Kevin I will up my foil time next time out. I have been frustrated because my ribs are the one thing I have not conquered yet.

Thanks again,
Eric
 
I really like this rub for ribs, especially if the chili powder is all or mostly ancho. I also used a Chris Lilly rub for my last pork butt cook, and found it extremely good.

One thing in common is the dark brown sugar. I've gone full circle, since the first rub recipe I ever made had it. It tends to clump in a rub, but I think it has better flavor that the other sugars I've tried, at least for pork. To get rid of clumps, I poured how much I needed in a plastic bag and used my wife's rolling pin to smash the lumps. Next, I used a sifter, and this works pretty good. Granulated brown sugar just doesn't have nearly the flavor. Brown sugar clumps anyway, and turbinado, well, it's lacking in flavor as well. Mixing the dark brown and turb might keep the rub from darkening as much, though.
 
Awesome point on brown sugar Dave. I just read although not tried this yet, but Paul Kirk suggests air drying your brown sugar on a cookie sheet, about 2 hours works, then sifting. I am making a huge batch of rub tomorrow, getting ready for 3 butts for a party Saturday, atleast this one is in the US, last weekend was in Canada. I will let you know how much a difference it makes
 
I tried the recipe last w.e.
It all went well, except:
during the initial 135 min the rib temperature went as high as 177. This made the ribs a little dry for my taste. I monitored the grill temperature with a digital thermometer and it was all the time between 240 and 260 (I was surprised at how good i was in controlling the temperature).

probably the recipe was intended for bigger pieces of meat.
 
during the initial 135 min the rib temperature went as high as 177. This made the ribs a little dry for my taste.
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Rib temp is immaterial. If the ribs were dry and a bit tough they were undercooked. If dry but the meat came off the bone fairly easily and/or the meat was a bit stringy then the ribs were overcooked.

Either one is a common problem when cooking by time. Lilly should know better.
 
Yes, a definate void in Lilly's book is what real tenderness is like, and that's why I don't suggest it as the first book a new pitmaster buys.

The book has some pretty good recipes and techniques, though. Just take the temps/times with a grain of salt. The point should be made that temps/times vary not only because of the variance in meat. Most of us cook on a wsm while Chris uses a big insulated Pitmaker with a rotisserie, which cooks MUCH faster. Sure, he cooks some on smaller pits as well, but going by his times/temps, it's obvious he doesn't bend over backwards trying to convert the recipe times/temps for the backyard guy. Should be cooking for tenderness, anyway though.
 
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