St Louis ribs
Ingredients
for the ribs
1.5kg St Louis rib rack
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsps fine sea salt
for the dry rub
50g cracked black pepper
1 tbsp mustard powder
1 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp freshly ground coffee beans
1 tsp garlic powder
for the jacket potatoes
4 large baking potatoes
unsalted butter
for the mother sauce
50g butter
2 jalapenos, roasted until soft
5 large tomatoes, diced
5 red bell peppers, seeds removed and diced
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 red onions, peeled and diced
1 dried ancho chilli, finely chopped
2 limes, zest and juice
1 tbsp smoked paprika
½ tbsp cumin
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
for the charred corn
2 corn on the cobs, skin removed and cut in half lengthways
2 tbsps corn oil
sea salt & black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
Method
To make the dry rub, mix all the ingredients together and rub the mix into both sides of the ribs.
To marinade the ribs, coat the ribs with the olive oil, sprinkle over the sea salt and rub it all over the ribs. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
To cook the ribs, set up your smoker (see page 127) to 140°C/275°F. Place the ribs bone side down and cook for 1½ hours. When done, turn the ribs over and cook for another 1½ hours until they have turned a mahogany colour. Wrap the rib rack in tin foil and return to the smoker for another 1½ hours. For those that don't mind a little cheating, or have other things to cook on the barbecue, this can be done in the oven at 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3 for 45 minutes. The ribs are done when you can push a toothpick through the meat will little resistance.
To bake the jacket potatoes, wrap the potatoes in tin foil and place in the barbecue smoker with the ribs and cook for the last 1½ hours of cooking. Just before serving slice a cross in the centre of the potatoes and add a little butter.
To make the mother sauce, heat a large frying pan on a medium heat, add the butter, roasted jalapenos, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, red onions and chilli, and lightly colour. Add the spices and lime and stir well. Gently simmer for 45 minutes, then using a stick blender blend into a coarse sauce.
To cook the corn, place the cobs in a mixing bowl, add the corn oil, cayenne pepper and a large pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper and toss the corn to fully coat. Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot over a medium to high heat then add the corn, turning when it starts to char. Cook for 7-10 minutes, until the corn is tender. Once charred on all sides remove from the pan and serve.
To serve, cut into individual ribs with a long sharp knife and serve with the mother sauce, charred corn and jacket potatoes.