BBQ Recipes: Dwight Joes St. Louis Ribs

I got some great feedback on the post for Dwight's Cherry Smoked Turkey, so here's another one from Ramin Ganeshram that sounds pretty good. Whomever Dwight is, I want to meet him. It sounds like he's a great cook.

Based on Ramin's directions, she must smoke her ribs on a Weber Kettle, but it shouldn't matter. Use whatever smoker you have, but be sure to use a preponderance of cherry wood (my personal favorite on ribs) in your fire. Enjoy!

Dwight Jones BBQ St. Louis Ribs
Serves 6 to 8 people

BBQ Spice Rub Blend

• 5 tablespoons coarse salt
• 4 tablespoons granulated garlic
• 4 tablespoons onion powder
• 4 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 5 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• Mix together and store in an airtight jar or zip top bag.

6-8 lb St. Louis Style pork ribs (about 3 racks)
1/2 Cup BBQ spice blend

• Coat the ribs evenly with the spice blend and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Prepare a BBQ grill for the indirect heat cooking method by placing the coals on one side of the fire grate.
• Sear the ribs over direct heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
  
• Place the ribs on the side of the grill rack away from the coals. Cover the grill and cook slowly for approximately 3-4 hours total.
  
• Check the progress about once per hour.
  
• Rotate the ribs to ensure even cooking.
  
• The ribs will be fork tender and the meat will pull away from the ends of the bones when done.

Baste with your favorite barbeque sauce during the last 45 minutes of cooking.

Serve with your favorite side dishes like Cole Slaw, Potato Salad and Beans.

Ramin Ganeshram is a chef professionally trained at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. She lives in Stony Brook, NY and her new book "Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad and Tobago" is now available. (For an excerpt, please click here.) Ramin can be reached at chef@dfire.org. Ramin is also the editor of the new magazine Canvas.