As the sun begins to shine, we share our favourite BBQ recipes.

Ronnie’s BBQ Back Ribs

INGREDIENTS
2 x racks of pork ribs (2-2.5kg)
Ronnie’s BBQ Rub Mix
English or French mustard
Honey
100ml apple juice or cider
Mother sauce

  1. Rinse the ribs under cold water, then pat dry with kitchen towel.
    Remove the membrane from the back of the rack. To find the membrane, flip the ribs over so that they are curved toward you. A thin, somewhat translucent layer of white tissue is attached, and this is what you want to remove. The first step is to pull up a corner of the membrane at one edge of the slab of ribs. You can slide the point of a blunt knife (such as a table knife) underneath to get it started.
  2. Once you have it detached from one end, simply get a good grip and peel it away from the ribs. You can use a paper towel to help get a hold of the membrane since it can be a little bit slippery. Continue to pull away from where you started, and it should come off the ribs in one whole piece. Some people don’t remove the membrane, but this membrane doesn’t soften when cooked and can also prevent the meat from being fully marinated in the spices.
    Starting with the back of the ribs, rub the BBQ rub spice mix into the meat, add about a teaspoon of mustard for each rib, and rub in again. Flip the racks over and repeat. Then, place in a sandwich bag, airtight container, or tightly wrapped in cling film and place in the fridge overnight or 12-14 hours. If using a sandwich bag or cling film, make sure there is no trapped air, as a vacuum seal helps infuse the meat with the spices.
  3. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C. Place the ribs in a foil-lined roasting tin or a disposable metal tray and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes to brown them off. Remove from the oven and turn the heat down to 150°C .
  4. Add your apple/cider to the bottom of the tray, then cover with tin foil. Return to the oven to cook for 1.5-2 hours. Note: If you have racks from home-reared pigs, such as Brand Family Larder, you may not need to cook the ribs as long, so please keep an eye on them.
  5. Once you take the ribs out of the oven and they still feel very firm, put them back in the oven for a further 15-20mins. You want to cook them until they are tender and look slightly overdone.
  6. When ready, remove the foil and drain off the liquid. Then, take a pastry brush and your mother sauce (or the mother sauce plus anything you wish to add), and brush the underside of the ribs really well with the sauce. Then, turn over and repeat on the top side of the ribs. At this point, you can return the ribs to the oven or fire up the BBQ and place them over the charcoal for a further 15 minutes. This will let the mother sauce glaze cook on the BBQ and tighten up the meat. If it looks like the glaze is drying up, brush some more on while you are cooking.
  7. When ready, remove the ribs and let them rest for around five minutes. When ready to serve, brush a thin layer of the glaze to make your BBQ ribs shine’!

Ronnie’s Mother Sauce

INGREDIENTS
Oil (rapeseed or vegetable)
1 brown/white onion diced
2 cloves garlic crushed/finely chopped or 1 tsp garlic paste
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp honey
½ tbsp tomato paste
½ tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp mustard powder
½ tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin powder
water
Ronnie’s BBQ Rub mix

  1. Sauté onions in a pot with a splash of oil and garlic on medium to low heat until onions are soft and slightly browned. Do not caramelise the onions.
  2. Add all the remaining ingredients except the water and the BBQ rub mix. Stir together and continue to cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes. Then, add water in small amounts until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency (less water will make a thick sauce, and more water will make a very thin sauce). I make mine a bit thicker, but it’s completely up to you.
  3. When your sauce is at the desired thickness, add 2 tbsp of
    the BBQ rub mix, stir well and taste. If you want a bit more flavour, add another tbsp (or more) of spice mix.
  4. Store in an airtight container for up to seven days.

Ronnie’s BBQ Rub

INGREDIENTS
100g brown sugar
50g granulated sugar
75g table salt
½ tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp mustard powder
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp oregano dried
1 tsp thyme
½ tsp coriander powder

  1. Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container. Will keep for up to one month.

Lewis & Clarke
2a Main Street, Gifford EH41 4QH | 01620 811001
info@lcartisan.co.uk