Honey Mustard Pork Ribs

If you head on down to South Carolina, you'll discover that their barbecue is served up with a mustard sauce. And I do mean mustard!

Traditional South Carolinians prefer their mustard sauce strong flavored while non traditionalists add a little honey to tone down the mustard flavor.

Count me as one of the non traditionalists. I prefer a bit of sweet in most all of my barbecue sauces. Then, that's just me.

This recipe uses the sweet version, but if you prefer more of the mustard kick, skip the addition of the honey and use apple cider vinegar rather than the seasoned rice vinegar.

Ingredients

2 slabs pork back ribs
1 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
About a cup of apple or hickory wood chips

Prepare Your Ribs

The first thing to do is to remove the membrane from the inner portion of the ribs. This membrane will inhibit the flavors of the meat rub and the smoke from penetrating the meat. Besides, who wants to eat that thing anyway?

Begin on the small end of the slab and work your fingers or a butter knife under the membrane until you have enough of it to grasp. Then slowly start pulling it off. It's similar to pulling a sticker off of something. The hard part is getting it started.

Apply a Meat Rub

A meat rub is important as it adds additional flavor to the ribs. Everyone has their favorites and we constantly experiment with new ones. If you'd like to start making your own, there are some good recipes here. Otherwise, a store bought brand will work for now.

Lightly brush the ribs with olive oil. This helps keep the meat moist while at the same time giving something for the rub to adhere to. "Rub" is a misnomer, we really don't rub it, just sprinkle it on liberally and evenly. If I'm using a coarse rub, such as dried herbs, I may pat it a little to help it stick to the meat. Allow the rub to do its magic for about a half an hour.

Let's Discuss Smoking Chips

Hickory is a good choice of wood for smoking ribs, but for a milder smoke flavor, try apple. Chips that are soaked in water tend to produce more smoke than dry chips, therefore I rarely soak mine since I don't want that much smoke flavor. It's all up to your taste. If you want that extra smoke flavor on you ribs, by all means go ahead and soak a handful of chips for 20 minutes to a half an hour.

Prepare Your Fire

Preheat the grill for indirect cooking over a medium heat. About 300-degrees F. Add the wood chips.

If using a gas grill, wrap the chips in aluminum foil, creating a "packet". Pierce holes on one side with a fork or knife to allow the smoke to escape. Place the packet underneath the cooking grate, right on top of the diverter plate.

Once the chips begin to smoke, it's time to put on the ribs. Place the ribs on the grill and close the lid. Allow the ribs to cook for 1 hour. Keep an eye on the temperature and adjust the vents as needed.

Prepare the Sauce

Prepare the sauce 15 minutes prior to the end of the cooking hour so that the sauce will stay warm.
Heat the butter over a medium heat until melted.
Reduce heat to low and add remaining ingredients. Whisk until blended.
Continue to simmer for 5 minutes while stirring.