Low & slow spareribs with homemade BBQ sauce

You don't just whip up spareribs in between. You set aside a Saturday for them. A few hours of smoking, a sticky homemade sauce and meat that comes neatly off the bone. Perfect for August! - Bo

Why low & slow works

Spareribs are full of connective tissue. At a low temperature and with a little smoke, it has time to become tender, without the meat drying out. We use the well-known 3-2-1 method, with a little twist: first smoking, then wrapped in foil so they become tender, and finally glazing with sauce.

Get started!

1. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Start with a boning knife and pull it off with a piece of kitchen paper.
2. Sprinkle the ribs all over with the rub and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Light the BBQ for indirect cooking at 110 to 120°C and place some pieces of smoking wood on the coals.
4. Place the ribs with the bone side down on the indirect side. Let them smoke for 3 hours.
5. Meanwhile, make the sauce: sauté the onion and garlic in a pan, and add ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and smoked paprika powder. Let it simmer gently for 15 minutes.
6. Wrap the ribs in aluminum foil with a splash of apple juice and put them back in for another 1.5 to 2 hours.
7. Remove them from the foil, brush them with sauce and let them cook without foil for another 30 minutes, until the sauce sticks.
8. Cut them between the bones and serve with the rest of the sauce.

Tip

To check if your ribs are ready, pick them up in the middle with tongs. Do they bend significantly and does the top crack a little? Then they are ready.

Storage and leftovers

Spareribs keep for 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat them wrapped in foil with a splash of water in the oven or on the BBQ. Leftover sauce keeps in a jar for a week.