Pork Ribs with Rub and Barbecue Sauce (Kansas City)

Kansas City is something of a melting pot when it comes to barbecue traditions and styles, so it's no surprise that its same-named pork ribs start with spicy rub, but are finished with a complex, 15-ingredient barbecue sauce. The sign of a perfectly done rib? While extremely tender, it should not fall off the bone; you should be able to see where you took a bite out of the meat.

Rub:
3 Tbsp. ground sweet paprika
4 tsp. sea salt
3 tsp. light brown sugar
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 ½ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. ground cayenne

Ribs:
2 racks St. Louis-style pork ribs (~ 4½ lbs)

Barbeque Sauce:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. ground paprika
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
¼ tsp. ground allspice
1 pinch ground cloves
2 cups ketchup
½ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup dark molasses
¼ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 Tbsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 bay leaf

Preheat the oven to 275°F (140°C/120°C fan, Gas Mark 1).

For the Rub:  
Whisk together the paprika, salt, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, mustard and cayenne for the rub.

Turn the rib racks bone-side-up and remove the thin membrane layer covering the ribs by lifting up a small corner with a paring knife and tugging it off. You can use a paper towel to secure your grip.

Rub the spice mixture all over both racks. Place both racks, bone-side-up, on a baking sheet lined with foil. Cover with foil and put in the oven. The meat should be tender enough to easily insert your knife into the ribs after 1½ hours.

For the Barbecue Sauce:  
As the ribs cook, make your BBQ sauce. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, paprika, red pepper, allspice and cloves and cook, stirring, until the paste is dark brick red, about 3 minutes. Add the ketchup, 2 cups water, vinegar, molasses, brown sugar, salt, soy sauce, Worcestershire, mustard, black pepper and bay leaf. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the flavours come together, about 30 minutes.

Remove and discard bay leaf before using. You should have about a quart of sauce. Set aside 1½ cups of sauce for basting. Serve the remaining sauce on the side for dipping.

Baste the Ribs:
After the ribs have been in the oven for 1½ hours, remove the foil cover and brush the ribs with the BBQ sauce. Cook uncovered until the meat is fork tender and comes off the bone easily, another 1½ hours. While the ribs cook, keep basting and flipping them every half hour.

Serve with reserved BBQ sauce on the side. Keep any leftover BBQ sauce in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 6-8 servings.