Apple Pumpkin Ribs


 
I'm a rubbed rib guy. I eat a sauced rib every now and again when someone requests them but usually make up a half slab that is just rubbed for myself. I have all kinds of rubs that I use based on my mood and what I have on the spice rack. But this recipe is my fave way to make ribs and it was inspired by this:

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I loves me some pumpkin beer. Maybe it's because I can only get it in the fall, my favorite time of the year (Cardinals in the post season, temps are dropping, leaves are changing NFL football is back, college football, and on and on).

It took me a while to perfect this recipe and the first couple iterations were a disaster. I actually marinated the ribs in this stuff:

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They were disgusting. That's where the beer came to mind. See, we don't eat pumpkin pie for the orange goop. We eat it for the spices. We don't drink a pumpkin ale because it tastes like that goo. We drink it because it's beer with the flavors of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, ginger, and all spice.

So the next time I made them I was grinding up cinnamon sticks and cloves in a coffee grinder only used for spices. WAAAAYYY over the top. Then I found something that has all of those spices already in the proper ratios:

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I mean, who knew, right?

So here's my method. I take Baby Back Ribs (BBR's) and peal the membrane before dropping them into a gallon ziplock with garlic, brown sugar and apple cider overnight. And not the crappy apple cider, but that thick brown stuff.

The next day, I pulled the ribs from the marinade, patted them dry with paper towels, applied a little course salt, and equal parts pumpkin pie spice, granulated garlic and brown sugar. That's it.

My go to method for grilling BBR's is 2 hours at 275-300. Here are those bad boys ready to come off after 2 hours of apple smoke:

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Ridiculously good....
 
Thanks for sharing, that looks great! I'll have to give something along these lines a try as well. I'm a big fan of a good pumpkin beer and pie!

Clark
 
I'll have to try these. I love cider, and I absolutely adore pumpkin pie. Put that together with ribs and it sounds like heaven to me.

Speaking of pumpkin beer...Dogfish Head's Punkin' Ale is my favorite beer of all time. Bring on October.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Hayden McCall:
I'll have to try these. I love cider, and I absolutely adore pumpkin pie. Put that together with ribs and it sounds like heaven to me.

Speaking of pumpkin beer...Dogfish Head's Punkin' Ale is my favorite beer of all time. Bring on October. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I did a side by side taste test between ribs marinaded in cider and those not and it was very noticeable which was better...

and the pumpkins are my fave beer too. By far...
 
You ARE a grillin fool. Who uses pumpkin on ribs?! But I gotta hand it to ya, I'd eat 'em!!!
 
what does the cider do for the ribs as a marinade? I would like to know both from a technical perspective and flavor/texture perspective.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Albracht:
what does the cider do for the ribs as a marinade? I would like to know both from a technical perspective and flavor/texture perspective. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Adds a sweetness to the meat. Texture and tenderness were similar but it had better flavor. It might have been a little more tender thanks to the acid in the cider, but ribs are already pretty tender...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jay ollie:
I gotta try this one out. Looks real GOOOOOOD! Do you think this might work on pork butt?
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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Absolutely. I used that rub on chunks of baloney that I smoked and it was excellent...
 
That O'Fallon pumpkin is the best I've had. Not too many people post their bad ideas. That picture of the pumpkin gooped on the ribs made me laugh. Thanks!

Should be some good beer in Forest Park this weekend!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ernie D:
That O'Fallon pumpkin is the best I've had. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The Schafly pumpkin is a little better, but there's one problem, it's an imperial so it's like 8% ABV. I had downed three of them for the Missou Illinois football game last year and was HAMMERED!!! Since then, I stick to the O'Fallon.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ernie D:Not too many people post their bad ideas. That picture of the pumpkin gooped on the ribs made me laugh. Thanks! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm not afraid show when I make mistakes. I have an entire post on my site called, "how not to smoke ribs," where I documented what can happen when you step away from the grill too long. Temperature spike for about 2 hours gave me the crispiest bark I had ever had on ribs, and that wasn't a good crispy.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ernie D:Should be some good beer in Forest Park this weekend! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What's going on a FP this weekend? I can't make it but could pass the info on to some folks that might be.

We're cooking for an event out in Wildwood called the Fifth Annual, "they Cancelled Beerfest," Beerfest. Bunch of guys 5 years ago went out to O'Fallon Brewery for their beerfest to find out it was cancelled so they threw one themselves. Strictly word of mouth. No advertising. Should be about 80-100 people. Everyone brings a 6 or a twelve of micro or import brew and put it in the community coolers and tubs. Then you can drink the amount of beers you brought out of the community tubs so you can sample whatever you want. Pretty cool idea...
 

 

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