North Carolina House Ribs Recipes

CAROLINA STYLE RIBS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, lemon juice, white vinegar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, molasses and mustard. Season with granulated garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, white pepper and cayenne pepper, and mix well. Set aside.
• Preheat an outdoor grill or smoker to 225 to 250 degrees F (110 to 120 degrees C).
• Rub ribs liberally with barbeque seasoning, then place them in the smoker or grill, and cover. Cook for 4 hours, or until very tender. The meat will easily separate from the bone. Baste ribs with mustard sauce liberally during the final 30 minutes. Heat remaining sauce to a boil, and serve on the side.

SMOKED RIBS WITH CAROLINA-STYLE BBQ SAUCE

Steps:

• For the rub:
• Combine all the spices in a small bowl. Brush both sides of the racks with oil and rub with the spice mixture. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
• In a large pot over low heat, add all the mop ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.
• Remove the ribs from the refrigerator 45 minutes before smoking to allow them to come to room temperature. Add the mix of hickory and applewood chips to the smoker according to package instructions. Heat a smoker to 220 degrees F. Put the apple cider in a small heatproof pan in the smoker.
• Put the ribs directly on the smoker rack. Smoke for 6 hours, brushing the ribs with the mop every hour for the first 5 hours. During the last hour, brush the ribs with the North Carolina Barbecue Sauce every 10 minutes. Remove the ribs to a serving platter and serve.
• For the BBQ Sauce:
• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the ketchup and water, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes.
• Carefully transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, then pour into a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. Sauce will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator, stored in a tightly sealed container.

"SECRET'S IN THE SAUCE" BBQ RIBS

Steps:

• Cut ribs into serving-size pieces; sprinkle with pepper. Place in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Combine the remaining ingredients; pour over ribs. Cook, covered, on low until meat is tender, 6-8 hours. Serve with sauce.

NORTH CAROLINA-STYLE RIBS

Steps:

• Trim fat from ribs. Place ribs in a shallow roasting pan (cut meat in pieces to fit if necessary). In a medium bowl combine vinegar, onion, brown sugar, serrano peppers, salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper. Reserve 1/2 cup of the vinegar mixture for mopping sauce. Pour remaining sauce over ribs. Turn ribs to coat. Place ribs, meaty sides down in the pan; cover with foil.
• Bake ribs in a 350 degrees F oven for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until very tender, turning ribs once after 1-1/2 hours of baking. Remove from oven. Discard liquid in pan. Pat ribs dry with paper towels.
• At least 1 hour before grilling, soak wood chips in enough water to cover. Drain wood chips.
• Sprinkle wood chips over medium coals in a charcoal grill. Place ribs on the grill rack directly over the coals. Grill, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until ribs are browned, turning once and brushing with some of the reserved vinegar mixture. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Add wood chips according to manufacturer directions. Place ribs on grill rack. Grill as directed above.) Brush ribs with remaining vinegar mixture before serving.
• If desired, serve with Carolina Hush Puppies. Makes 4 servings. Carolina Hush Puppies
• In a medium bowl stir together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
• In another bowl combine egg, buttermilk, onion, and hot pepper sauce. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).
• Drop batter by tablespoons into deep hot oil (375 degrees F). Fry, 5 or 6 at a time, about 3 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in 300 degrees F oven while cooking remaining hush puppies. Serve warm. Makes 14 to 18 hush puppies.
• Nutrition Facts per hush puppy: 105 cal., 5 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 15 mg chol., 141 mg sodium, 14 g carb., 1 g dietary fiber, 2 g protein. Because hot chile peppers, such as serranos, contain volatile oils that can burn your skin and eyes, avoid direct contact with chiles as much as possible. When working with chile peppers, wear plastic or rubber gloves. If your bare hands do touch the chile peppers, wash your hands well with soap and water.

NORTHERN-STYLE RIBS

Steps:

• Prepare your smoker or grill for barbecuing, using the indirect heat setup with a drip pan in place, and preheat to 210 degrees F. Pat the ribs dry, then season with the salt.
• Pour some water in the drip pan and place some presoaked wood chunks or a packet of presoaked wood chips directly on the hot coals. Oil the hot grate and place the ribs in your grill or smoker, meat side up. Cover and smoke for a total of 6 hours. After about 5 hours, begin to baste the ribs with the BBQ Sauce about every 20 minutes. The ribs are done when the meat cracks when picked up (with tongs) and they reach an internal temperature of 170 to 180 degrees F.
• To finish the ribs, throw them on the grill over direct medium heat to let the sauce caramelize. Baste between turns, and you're done.
• This is our core sauce based on the western North Carolina style. It's a good idea to keep extra in the fridge because it goes well with everything from fries to chicken fingers. Whisk all the ingredients together in a nonreactive saucepan, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.
• Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce just coats the back of a wooden spoon--it's not intended to be overly thick.
• Cool and use immediately or store for later use in the fridge, where it will keep for 2 to 3 months.

SOUTH CAROLINA-STYLE RIBS

Steps:

• Cut ribs into serving-size pieces. Place ribs meat side up in a roasting pan. Cover and bake at 325° for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until tender; drain., Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until slightly reduced., Brush sauce over ribs. Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes longer or until ribs are glazed, basting occasionally.

CAROLINA BARBECUED BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs. This is important. If you've not done this before, Google the technique.
• In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, sugar, crushed red pepper, garlic powder and thyme and mix well.
• Using your fingers, rub the mixture over both sides of the ribs.
• Cure the ribs in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and for more flavor, up to 24 hours.
• To make the barbecue sauce, chop the onion and cook it in the vegetable oil until it is dark golden.
• Transfer the onion to a saucepan and add all the remaining barbecue sauce ingredients.
• Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Pour the sauce through a medium-meshed strainer, scraping the sieve with a metal spoon to force all the pulp through the sieve.
• Refrigerate the sauce.
• Grill the ribs over medium indirect heat, for about 75 minutes or until the meat begins to shrink from the ends of the rib bones.
• Baste the ribs with the sauce occasionally, stopping 15 minutes before removing the ribs from the grill.
• To serve, cut the ribs into individual pieces and transfer them to a garnished serving platter or to garnished individual plates and serve at once, along with any extra sauce and the fruit salad and corn on the cob.