Classic Kansas City Style BBQ Spare Ribs

Sticky-sweet ribs that fall right off the bone after 5 hours of smoking.

Most people think about American BBQ, they picture this kind: sweet and sticky, smoky too. It tastes savory. Kansas City style uses tomato sauce with molasses in it and cooks really slowly.

You can cook it on any grill or smoker you have.

What You Need To Know

Stuff You Need

The Meat Part:

Two racks of pork spare ribs, get the St. Louis kind that's already trimmed
Yellow mustard for sticking

Spice Mix You Rub On:

• Brown sugar 1/2 cup, pack it down

• Paprika 1/4 cup, smoked one is better

• Black pepper, 1 tb, the coarse kind

• Kosher salt 1 tbsp

• Chili powder 1 tbsp

• Garlic powder 1 tbsp

• Onion powder 1 tbsp

• Cayenne pepper 1 tsp, you can skip if you don't like heat

Liquid For Wrapping:

• Apple juice or apple cider vinegar, half a cup

• Butter 4 tbsp, cut into pieces

• Honey 2 tbsp

The Sauce:

Buy BBQ sauce 1.5 cups, Sweet Baby Ray's or Stubbs works good, OR make your own with ketchup 1 cup, molasses 1/4 cup, vinegar 1/4 cup, and some of that spice mix.x

Things You Use

How To Make Them

1. Getting Ready (Take Off The Skin)

• On the back, where the bones are, there's a shiny skin thing. .t's chewy if you leave it.

• Use a butter knife, slide under the skin at one end.

• Grab with a paper towel cause it's slippery and pull the whole thing off.

• Cut off any fat that is hanging.

2. Put The Spices On

• Mix the spice stuff in a bowl.

• Put mustard all over ribs, thin like. You won't taste mustard later; it just makes the spices stick.

• Shake spices on both sides, lots of it. Push down with your hand, but don't rub. The ribs sit for 20 or 30 minutes while the grill gets ready.

3. Make The Grill Right

• Don't put meat over fire. Put it next to the fire.

If charcoal: Put coals on just one side only. Light some in a starter thing and dump on the other coals. Throw wood chips on top. A pan with water goes on the empty side under where the meat goes; this keeps it moist.

If gas: One side on medium-low.The other side, stay off. Wood chips go in a box or make a pouch from foil and poke holes, put right on the burner that's on.

Temperature Need To Be: Keep it between 225 and 250 degrees.

4. Smoke Time (First 2 and a half hours)

• Ribs go on the cool side, bones facing down. Shut the lid.

• Leave them alone for 2.5 hours. Don't open the lid unless you are adding more coals or chips.

• They are ready for the next part when the outside gets crusty and turns dark brown.

5. Wrap Them Up (Hour 2.5 to 4)

• This makes sure they're juicy.

• Get two big foil sheets out.

• Put butter pieces, honey drizzle, and apple juice splash in the middle of the foil.

• Ribs go meat-side down on the butter stuff.

• Wrap foil tightly so no steam gets out.

• Back on the grill, cool side, another hour and a half.

6. Sauce Part (Last half hour)

• Take ribs out of foil, watch out for hot steam!

• Put ribs on the grill grate, bones down.

• Paint BBQ sauce on thick.

• Close lid, cook 15 to 30 minutes. This makes the sauce get sticky instead of runny.

7. Check If Done & Let Rest

• Pick up ribs with tongs in the middle. If the meat cracks a little on top and looks like it's gonna fall off the bone, they're done. Taste the ke grill off and wait 10 minutes before cutting.

Eating It

• Coleslaw, creamy or vinegar type

• Cornbread

• Beans that's baked

• Potato salad

• Pickles and white onion slices

Your backyard BBQ is ready.