Summertime is here which means time for summertime bbq!
4 Rivers – Recipe by John Rivers
St. Louis Ribs
Each type of meat served at the Smokehouse is cooked in a manner that reflects the best style I found during many years of traveling throughout the country. Whereas my pulled pork comes from Alabama and my brisket goes back to Texas, the best ribs I came across were in North Carolina. The combination of apple and pork is good on its own, but the finish with the sweetness of the honey and brown sugar is a treat you don’t want to miss.
Serves 2
- 1 full rack of St. Louis–style ribs (about 4 lbs)
- 2 Tbsp 4R All-Purpose Rub (page 25 of 4 Rivers cookbook)
- 2 cups apple juice, poured into a squirt bottle
- 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp honey
- ¼ cup 4R All-Purpose BBQ Sauce (page 25 of 4 Rivers Cookbook)
Prepare smoker
- Soak wood for one hour before smoking.
- Light charcoal and allow to burn to a white ash
- Place soaked hickory on top of hot coals and allow the temperature to settle at 225°F.
Cook ribs
- Remove membrane on underside of the rack of ribs (or score along the length of the rack with a knife, taking care not to puncture the meat).
- Apply rub evenly over top of ribs. Place in smoker and cover. Check and replace wood and coal every hour to maintain a constant temperature.
- After two hours, begin to spray the ribs with apple juice every 30 minutes.
- Continue smoking and spraying ribs for another one and a half hours, until the meat turns a dark brown and begins to pull back from the ends of the rib so one-quarter to one-half inch of the bone is exposed and the meat is tender to touch.
- Remove ribs from smoker. Spray with apple juice and sprinkle top with brown sugar and honey, then wrap tightly in plasticwrap or aluminum foil.
- Place ribs back in the smoker for 30 minutes.
- Remove ribs from the smoker and keep wrapped until ready to serve. If longer than 30 minutes, place ribs in an empty cooler and close lid tight to preserve heat.
Finish ribs
Just before serving, heat a gas grill to medium-high. Remove ribs from wrapping and drizzle with BBQ sauce. Place ribs on hot grill, bottom side down, for three minutes. Flip only once, and grill the top side for another three minutes until meat is slightly charred and sugar from the BBQ sauce has caramelized
Adam’s Rib Co.
Collard Greens Recipe
Ingredients:
Raw chopped collards
4-ounce fry oil
Kosher salt
Apple cider vinegar
Smoked meat, rib or ham
Directions:
- Add oil to bottom of boiler pot and preheat pot to 350 degrees.
- Fry collard greens until the leaves begin to break down.
- As the process continues, about halfway through add kosher salt and apple cider vinegar to taste. You can also add a rib bone or other piece of smoked meat for flavor.
- The greens should cook for approximately two hours, but be sure not to boil them.
David’s BBQ
Brunswick Stew
Ingredients:
1 lb browned chopped hamburger
1 lb BBQ chopped chicken
16-ounce can tomato puree
16-ounce of your favorite BBQ sauce
16-ounce chicken stock
2 large diced onion
16-ounce can corn
16-ounce canned, frozen or fresh lima beans
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp (or more) of your favorite hot sauce
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to a large pot — stir and cook over medium heat or in a smoker until the stew gets to a boil.
- Cook for an additional 45 minutes and serve hot. This dish is great as a meal on its own or with garlic bread, corn bread or crackers.
If you visit Brunswick, Ga., the Chamber of Commerce building has a large iron kettle that is said to have held the first pot of Brunswick stew.
Some ingredients I have seen added include diced tomatoes, potatoes, okra, rice (added or as a base), black-eyed peas or green peas.You can modify the recipe for you and your family.
Find more BBQ places on our app, Guide Directory.