Mabel's Pork Spareribs with Pickle Juice Glaze

Smoked pork spareribs hit with a sweet brown-sugar pickle-juice glaze, Symon’s celery-seed-forward Cleveland take on barbecue ribs.

Ingredients

• 2 slabs pork spareribs, 3 to 4 lb each
• 1 cup pork rub (see below)
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup coarse black pepper
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon celery seed
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup strained dill pickle juice
• 2 cups Cleveland mustard barbecue sauce, for serving

Directions

1. Make the rub by combining the 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup pepper, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, celery seed, smoked paprika and cayenne.
2. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs and coat both slabs all over with the rub. Let stand 30 minutes.
3. Heat a smoker to 250 degrees F. Smoke the ribs meat-side up until tender and the meat pulls back from the bone tips, about 4 to 5 hours.
4. While they smoke, simmer the 2 cups brown sugar and pickle juice in a saucepan until syrupy, about 8 minutes, to make the glaze.
5. Brush the ribs generously with the pickle-juice glaze during the last 20 minutes of cooking.
6. Rest 10 minutes, cut between the bones and serve with the mustard barbecue sauce.

Notes

Modeled on Michael Symon’s celery-seed ribs with pickle-juice glaze from Mabel’s BBQ.