Live the Live ™

I recently purchased several different cuts of the famous Spanish Iberico pork from Campo Grande. One of the cuts was a four-rib slab. I chose to give it some smoke and a slathering of sauce.

The sauce requires a bit of heating, then needs to cool down to room temp, so make it while the pork is in the smoker.

I use the not-so-fancy balsamic for this dish…the stuff you get in the supermarket for about $9 a bottle. There’s no need to use the really good stuff for this.

I have a Masterbuilt electric smoker, which is really convenient for small cuts of meat like this that could otherwise burn to a crisp in a charcoal grill or woodfired smoker.

I set the digital smoker to 275°, because experience has told me that the hickory wood chips that I use will smoke really nicely at this temperature.

I removed the ribs from the packaging, and sprinkled them all over with Lawry’s seasoned salt, allowing the ribs to sit for an hour before going in the smoker.

Using the chips, I smoked the ribs for about two hours. The end result gave the pork a beautiful caramel hue.

I removed the ribs from the smoker and placed them on a tray covered in foil. I brushed my sauce/glaze all over the ribs and then wrapped the foil tightly around them, placing them in my kitchen oven and cooking for another hour at 250°. 

The sauce/glaze couldn’t be easier…

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce (I like Frank’s Red Hot)
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion

Combine everything in a saucepan and bring it to a boil, then lower it to a simmer. Cook until it has slightly thickened. Remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature before using. It will thicken a bit more off the heat.