Asian Spareribs

• Preparing the spareribs begins the night before by removing the membrane from the ribs and marinating the meat.
• Removing the membrane from the hollow side of the spareribs is a job that can be a bit difficult the first time. I actually always use the back of a knife or spoon and use this to pick off a piece of the membrane near one of the middle ribs. Once you've gotten a small piece loose you can then slowly slide your fingers under the skin and pull it off bit by bit.
• Are you doing this for the first time? Then check out the video below, which shows everything clearly.
• After removing the membrane, it is helpful to cut away small, loose pieces of fat and meat. This will only burn during the cook and thus does not benefit the taste.
• Now mix all the ingredients for the rub together and rub the spareribs well with it on all sides. Once you have done this you can wrap the ribs in cling film to let the rub soak in overnight.

Preparation Day:

• On cooking day, count for about 6 hours for your spareribs to be on the BBQ. So start firing up the BBQ on time.
• Prepare the BBQ well in advance for indirect heat and a temperature of about 110 degrees Celsius (230 Fahrenheit).
• Once the BBQ has reached the right temperature, we can first add the smoking wood to the coals. I almost always use chunks of smoking wood because I can easily stick them between the burning coals. I use chunks of cherry wood for spareribs. A type of wood that goes well with pork.
• After adding the smoking wood, the spareribs can go on the BBQ. They now go on the BBQ for 3 hours first, where we smoke the meat for the first hour.
• After about 45 minutes it is time to prepare the mop sauce. With this mop sauce we are going to brush the spareribs every half hour. For the mop sauce, melt the butter in a pan and add the apple juice, lemon juice, ketjap manis and salt. Stir everything well and turn off the heat to allow the sauce to cool slightly.
• When the spareribs have been on the BBQ for an hour, it is time to brush them with the mop sauce for the first time. Repeat this every half hour.
• After 3 hours, the spareribs may come off the BBQ for a while. But not for long, because we are going to wrap them and steam them with some moisture. Take 2 layers of aluminum foil and wrap the spareribs individually. Make sure not to wrap them too tightly and, before closing all sides, add a few spoonfuls of the mop sauce. Now place the wrapped spareribs back on the BBQ, still above indirect heat.
• After 2 hours of steaming, the spareribs may be taken off the BBQ again, to unwrap them. Do this carefully, because the spare ribs are now very hot and tender of the steaming process.
• When you have unwrapped the spareribs, you can put them back on the BBQ one last time to firm them up and to add a nice glossy coating. The latter we do with a glaze. Mix the chili sauce, brown sugar and honey and spread this glaze on the spare ribs after 15 minutes. Repeat this every 10 minutes.
• After about 45 minutes, the spare ribs may be removed from the BBQ. Let them rest for another 10 minutes or so before attacking. In that time, the meat juices can redistribute a bit and you have nice time to make your friends jealous with a photo! Enjoy your meal!