Missouri Style Barbecue Ribs

For a little winter relief I decided to come up with a little low and slow cooked barbecue spare rib recipe that can be done in your oven. Not only will this give you hope that summer is coming but it will keep your kitchen warm for a few hours while it cooks. These ribs are styled after Missouri ribs, where a slightly spicy dry rub is applied and a wet mop is used at the end of cooking. These ribs are tender, juicy and have a little kick to them. I did not include any barbecue sauce for dipping and left them as the strict interpretation. For those of you concerned about fat grams this may not be the recipe for you but please be comforted with the thought that I will be presenting barbecue rib recipes of all kinds and you're likely to find one that fits your personal plan. If any of you are from the "show me state" please let me know if these ribs remind you of home. I think they'll come pretty close. I hope you enjoy.

Missouri Style Barbecue Ribs

Ingredients:

1 slab St. Louis style spare ribs, about 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 lbs.

Dry Rub:

1 Tbsp. kosher salt

1 Tbsp. chili powder

2 Tbsp. Splenda

2 Tbsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Mop Sauce:

1 cup white vinegar

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

1 Tbsp. Splenda

Preheat oven to 225'

Begin by cleaning the ribs and removing all possible visible fat. Turn the ribs to the bone side and remove the skirt by sliding your knife between the bone and this piece of meat. Run the knife as close to the bone to remove. Reserve this piece and clean it to use later. Rinse the ribs under cool running water and pat dry with paper towels. Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Rub ribs thoroughly with this mixture, gently massaging in on both sides. Use up all the rub for this. Prepare a sheet pan by covering it with aluminum foil and setting a heavy rack inside. Place the ribs on the rack and cook in 225' oven for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Do not turn while cooking as the slow cooking infuses the spice into the meat. If desired, the ribs can be covered and refrigerated at this point for up to 2 days and can be finished then.

Combine the mop ingredients in a container. Increase oven temperature to 425' and cook ribs until browned on each side, basting every 10 minutes for 30 minutes and turning once during this process to finish cooking. All the mop sauce should be used and the ribs will be a rich, deep mahogany color. Turn slab to bone side and cut following the lines of each rib. You can use either an electric or manual knife.

Nutrition Facts

8 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 355.3

Total Fat 26.4 g

Saturated Fat 9.6 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.6 g

Monounsaturated Fat 11.7 g

Cholesterol 103.0 mg

Sodium 381.9 mg

Potassium 119.2 mg

Total Carbohydrate 5.0 g

Dietary Fiber 1.4 g

Sugars 2.1 g

Protein 25.3 g