Overnight Ribs

Overnight Ribs

We were looking for a truly easy way to cook ribs one weekend and thought we would try the overnight method we always use for dry-cured country ham. It worked like a charm–and the ribs were tender and lip-smacking good, too!

10 pounds spare ribs
4 tablespoons smoked paprika
8 teaspoons kosher salt
6 cloves garlic, peeled
12 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup apple cider or juice
4 cups water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Your favorite barbecue dipping sauce

Equipment:  Large deep roasting pan
Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Natural gas oven

Ten pounds of ribs is usually two racks. If the whole racks won’t fit into your roasting pan, cut each rack in half.

Rub two teaspoons of salt into the top and underside of each rack. Sift one tablespoon of paprika on the top and underside of each rack. Be sure to use only SMOKED paprika to give some smokiness to the ribs.

Place the ribs in the roasting pan and place the garlic and thyme over and around the ribs. Mix together the cider, water, and vinegar and pour into the pan. Cover and seal the pan well with heavy-duty aluminum foil and place in a COLD oven.

Turn the oven on to 400 degrees. When the oven beeps to indicate that the oven has reached the desired temperature, roast for 20 minutes and then turn the heat off and let the pan sit in the oven for three hours. At the end of three hours, turn the heat on to 400 degrees again and when it has reached that temperature, roast for 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the pan in the oven overnight or for at least 8 hours. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN AT ANY TIME DURING THIS PROCESS.

When you are ready to serve, cut the slabs into individual ribs and reheat in your favorite dipping sauce.