Smokey’s golden ribs
Smokey’s golden ribs: our South American flavor bombs
The star of the sauce that goes with these golden ribs is the goldberry, also known as Cape gooseberry and often sentenced to be dessert decoration. It shouldn’t be! Because these flavor bombs from the South American Andes are amazing for a sauce that gives a slightly sour citrus flavor that is excellent when paired with spare ribs.
This recipe is great for when you’re all in on eating with your hands, but want a little more variation.
The ingredients:
(serves 4)
Tropical pork rub
- 2⅔ oz (75g) salt
- 2 oz (60g) granulated sugar
- 1⅔ oz (50g) turmeric
- 1 tsp (5g) chili powder
- ⅓ oz (10g) ground fennel seeds
- ⅓ oz (10g) cilantro powder
- 1 tsp (5g) cinnamon
Spare ribs
- 4 spare ribs
- 8 tbsp Tropical Pork Rub
- ½ cup (100ml) apple juice
- ½ cup (100ml) apple cider vinegar
Goldberry apricot sauce
- 10½ oz (300g) goldberries
- 1 fresh red pepper, seeds removed and roughly chopped
- ⅔ cup (150ml) water
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp chipotle-tabasco
- 1½ (40g) oz butter
- 2 tbsp apricot jam
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Gear:
- Philips head screwdriver
- BBQ for indirect grilling
- 4 handfuls apple, pear, or mesquite wood chips for smoking, soaked in water
- Spray bottle
- Hand blender
- Core thermometer
- Brush
How to make:
Prep: 1 hour
Cooking: about 4½ hour
Mix all ingredients for the Tropical Pork Rub.
Prepare a BBQ for indirect grilling and heat until 110 °C (230 °F)
Remove the fleece from the spare ribs by inserting a Philips head screwdriver between the lung fleece and the bone on the back of the rack. Gently wiggle the screwdriver until it’s between the bone and fleece across the entire width of the rack. Pull the towards you to remove the fleece from the rack. Coat your spare ribs with the Tropical Pork Rub on both sides equally.
Add the soaked wood chips to the hot coals, place your spiced spare ribs on the BBQ and cover. Cook for 2 hours, while spraying them with the apple juice and apple cider vinegar mix every ½ hour. After 2 hours, when the ribs are nice and golden brown, wrap them in aluminum foil, giving them a good spray before closing up. Cook in foil for 1½ hours.
Meanwhile, make the goldberry apricot sauce by combining the goldberries, red pepper, and water in a saucepan. Heat until berries are soft, then puree using a hand blender. Add remaining ingredients until the butter and apricot jam have dissolved completely.
Unwrap the golden ribs from the foil when the core temperature reads 72 °C (162 °F). Brush with warm goldberry apricot sauce and leave to cook on the BBQ for 5-10 minutes. This gives the sauce time to stick to the ribs and thicken slightly. Serve with your favorite side dishes or shamelessly hog the bowl. We can’t blame you.
