Kansas City Dry Rub

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From another center of the barbecue universe comes one of the dry rubs that made the Kansas City Royal cook-off such a highly competitive event. Try this rub on turkey and chicken too.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar

  • 2 tablespoons ground paprika

  • 1 tablespoon white sugar

  • 1 tablespoon garlic salt

  • 1 tablespoon celery salt

  • 1 tablespoon commercial chili powder

  • 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon ground cayenne chile

  • ½ teaspoon dry mustard

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Store any unused rub in a sealed container in the freezer.

Kansas City Long Ends

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Long ends are the lean, thin bones of spareribs, while short ends are the shorter, fatter, meatier hind sections. The combination of the rub and finishing sauce is traditional in Kansas City-style barbecue. The sauce is sometimes slathered over the ribs during the last half hour of smoking and is always served on the side. Why not serve these ribs with french fried, corn on the cob, spicy baked beans, and hot peach cobbler for dessert?

Ingredients

  • Kansas City Dry Rub

  • 6 to 8 pounds pork spare ribs, long ends only

  • Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce

Instructions

Place the rub in a shaker. Sprinkle evenly over the ribs and let them marinate for 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

Prepare a fire and place the ribs on racks in the smoker. Smoke with approximately 200 degree F. for 4 hours. If desired, baste with the sauce during the last ½ hour of smoking. Serve with the sauce on the side.

Memphis-Style Finishing Sauce

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This finishing sauce is traditionally served over smoked ribs, but can also be converted into a basting sauce by adding more beer and a little more vinegar.

Ingredients

tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, hot sauce, butter, beer

Instructions

Finishing ribs with sauce

Mopped on the job: Finishing ribs with sauce

Photo by Harald Zoschke

This is the sauce that is traditionally served over smoked ribs in Memphis and other parts of Tennessee. Some cooks add prepared yellow mustard to the recipe. It can be converted into a basting sauce by adding more beer and a little more vinegar. Add more hot sauce to taste, or substitute red chile or cayenne powder.

  • 1 cup tomato sauce, preferably freshly made

  • 1 cup red wine vinegar

  • 2 teaspoons Louisiana-style hot sauce

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ½ cup light beer

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat, but serve warm over smoked meats.

Yield: 2 ½ cups

Heat Scale: Mild

Memphis Rib Rub

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This rub is great for smoking any cut of pork–ribs, chops, steaks, or even a roast. It has its origins in one of the barbecue centers of America, Memphis, Tennessee, home of the Memphis in May barbecue cook-off. You can also use rubs on grilled meats, so the next time you grill pork (or lamb) chops, try this rub.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup paprika

  • 2 tablespoons garlic salt

  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar

  • 1 tablespoon onion powder

  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano

  • 1 tablespoon dry mustard

  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cayenne

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Store any unused rub in a sealed container in the freezer.

Memphis Baby Back Ribs

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This particular specialty can be smoked or smoke-grilled and it typifies the Memphis approach to cooking ribs–a double whammy of spices and sauce. As usual, watch for burning as the finishing sauce has a bit of sugar in the tomato. Why not serve these delicious ribs with traditional potato salad, cole slaw, and pickled peppers? Remember that the meat on smoked ribs looks pink, but that’s a chemical reaction with the smoke, and the ribs are really done. Really. It is difficult to take the temperature of the ribs because of the bones, so some instinctive cooking is required here.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Memphis Rib Rub

  • 3 slabs baby back ribs, about 4 pounds total

  • 1 cup Memphis-Style Finishing Sauce 

Instructions

In a large, shallow pan, pour the rub over the ribs and massage into the meat on both side. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

If smoke-grilling the ribs, build a fire that is 300 to 350 degrees F. Cook the ribs, covered, for 1 hour, turning often. Smoke-grill, basting the finishing sauce on the ribs with a brush, for another 30 minutes.

If smoking the ribs, maintain the smoke at 200 to 220 degrees F. and smoke for 2 hours. Brush the finishing sauce over the ribs several times during the last 1 hour of smoking, and turn the ribs occasionally.

Remove the ribs from the grill or smoker, and serve with additional finishing sauce on the side.