Ready for the oven for a few and your favorite sauce. Or eat dry. Your call.

Time to start practicing a little strong family and community magic with some barbecue, or BBQ, however, you’d like to spell/call it. We’re smoking some pork ribs today for our Cauldron Cooking. The cauldron being either a genuine smoker or your own grill.

Notes:

Runa makes her own rub for ribs and the recipe is included here; however, you can use what you like and don’t like — it’s up to you. This is a recipe you have to set some time aside to do, that’s why it’s paired with lazy summer Sundays and the like. Baby back ribs are what is shown here. You’re going to need to remove the membrane. To do so, lay the ribs on a flat surface –meat side down. A sharp knife is absolutely essential here. Take a knife and get purchase under the membrane from one corner near the bone. Once you have a good-sized piece peeled back, grab it with your fingers (if it’s too slippery you can use a kitchen towel or paper towel) and pull. Once the membrane is removed, rinse off the ribs again and pat dry with some paper towels. When smoking pork ribs, Runa prefers apple wood chips; but, again, use your preference or whatever you have on hand.

Remove this membrane for a tender rib smoke and tastier eating experience.

Ingredients:

2 racks of ribs, membrane removed

Your favorite barbecue sauce

Smoking chips

For rub:

1 T kosher salt

1 T cracked pepper

1 T paprika

1 T ground cumin

1/2 T ground mustard

1 T dried sage

1 T dried onions or onion powder

1 T dried oregano

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Be sure to rub both sides of the rib rack with all that herbs and spice goodness. Imagine a strong happy family and community, while you do it.

Combine the rub ingredients and then massage into meat. Cover lightly and refrigerate at least two hours or overnight. About 30 minutes before smoking, remove the ribs from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature. You’re going to smoke the ribs in your smoker at about 200 degrees for two to three hours, replenishing your wood chip tray/box/pan as necessary. A medium-sized smoker requires about once an hour. Once they are smoked, you can eat dry, or move the ribs to an oven-proof tray and put in a 400 degree oven brushed with your favorite barbecue sauce for long enough for the sauce to be warm and not burned (about 10 minutes or so…check after 5 minutes). Let rest for 5 minutes and then slice up, serve with your favorite sides (hopefully you invited neighbors to bring potluck!) and watch the smiles all around.