Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tbsp onion powder

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste

3 tbsp sweet paprika

1 tbsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

1 tbsp ancho chili powder

2 tbsp garlic powder

Wet Ingredients:

1 tsp hot pepper sauce like Tabasco

1/2 shot Jack Daniel’s whisky

Other Ingredients:

2 large sweet onions like Vidalia, sliced thinly

5 pounds pork spareribs or baby back ribs, kept as a slab but cut to fit a roasting pan in two or more layers.

BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

1-2 tbsp Heinz chili sauce (this is like a spicy ketchup)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Preparation

  1. Combine all the dry ingredients together to make the rub. This rub is actually enough for 10 pounds of ribs, so if you are making the 5 pounds called for here, you can store the rest of the rub for another day.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the tabasco and whisky.
  3. In a roasting pan, arrange a layer of sliced onions.
  4. Brush the tabasco whisky on ribs, then apply the dry rub to the ribs.
  5. Layer the ribs in the pan with sliced onions between each layer and on top.
  6. Cover tightly with foil. Place in fridge overnight.
  7. The next day, roast the ribs covered at 275 deg F for 3 hours. The meat should be just pulling away from the bones.
  8. Allow the ribs to cool with the foil still on the pan, and place in fridge overnight.
  9. The next day, remove the ribs from the pan, scraping the onions off, and set them aside.
  10. Pour the juices from the pan and the onions into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a sauce pan with the BBQ Sauce ingredients and bring to a boil stirring. Reduce heat and simmer until it is at the desired thickness. This sauce will keep in the fridge for months.
  11. Prepare grill. Cut apart the ribs in one-rib portions. Grill the ribs to finish them, enough to heat and put a char on them. They are already completely cooked. You may brush on the BBQ sauce as you grill them or serve the sauce on the side.