Big Red Smoked Pork Spare Ribs

The sweet flavor of Big Red turns smoked pork ribs into candied meat treats.

1 rack St. Louis-style pork ribs

(about 3 pounds) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons barbecue rub

1 1⁄2 cups Big Red

Pink butcher paper

1 cup Big Red glaze sauce (see

recipe)

Special equipment: Meat injector

syringe

Instructions: Remove the membrane from the bone sideof the ribs by inserting a butter knife under the membrane and pulling it off with a paper towel.

Apply olive oil to both sides of the ribs to act as a binder, then apply barbecue rub. With the ribs laying horizontally in front of you, from the top, inject Big Red soda in between each of the bones of the ribs, reserving 1⁄2 cup for spritzing. Then inject the ribs again between each bone from the bottom.

Let the ribs to sit out while preparing the smoker with your preferred wood (cherry or apple wood are excellent options) to approximately 250 degrees.

Place the ribs in smoker meat-side up and cook for 2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, spritzing in 30-minute increments.

Once ribs come to temperature, take them out and wrap them in butcher paper. Return the wrapped ribs to the smoker, meat-side up, for another 90 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 195 degrees. Any meat thermometer will easily pierce through the paper to test the meat.

Unwrap the ribs and apply the Big Red sauce glaze. Return ribs to smoker for 15-20 minutes, meat-side up. Remove ribs from smoker and allow to rest for 15 minutes prior to slicing.

Makes 4 servings

Chuck Blount, Express-News Taste writer