Jeremy Yoder at MadScientistBBQ always has some great content on his YouTube channel. I saw this experiment for cooking ribs in fat-soaked butcher paper and had to give it a try.
Gather the ingredients.
- 1 Rack of Spare Ribs
- 2 tbsp. Cherrywood Smoked Salt
- ½ tsp. Pink Curing Salt
- 4 tbsp. Texas Honey
- 4 tbsp. Pecan Liquid Smoke
- 3 tbsp. Bacon Fat/Lard
- Joule Sous Vide Cooker
- Sous Vide Container
- Oven
- Butcher paper
Let’s go to work.
- Preheat Joule to 162 °F.
- Mix salt and pink salt and make sure they are combined.
- Cut the rack in half, and season each half evenly. The pink salt is optional but is essential to creating a “smoke ring.”
- Let the ribs rest in the salt brine for about 10 minutes.
- Combine honey and 2 tbsp. of liquid smoke in a bowl or cup, mix well, then mop the ribs all over with the glaze.
- Place the ribs in ziplock-style bags and cook for four hours at 162 °F.
- Remove the ribs from the bags, and mop again with more of that smoky honey glaze.
- Use your favorite rub and dust the ribs all over, being sure to get it in all the cracks and crevices.
- Melt the remaing 2 tbsp. of liquid smoke and Bacon Fat together in a microwave. Mix well.
- Pour or brush the fat on some butcher paper, and then tightly wrap up the ribs.
- Bake in the oven at 250 °F for about 1 hour, depending on your tenderness preference.
- Unwrap the ribs, and bake for another hour to let the ribs tighten up.
- ‘Nuff said! Pull those ribs out of the oven, let them rest for a few minutes, then cut them up and enjoy!