Smoked Masala Pork Ribs with Mango Chutney Glaze

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Pork spare ribs rubbed with garam masala, cumin and Kashmiri chilli, then smoked low and slow over pecan wood until they pull clean off the bone at 203°F. A quick mango chutney glaze brushed on at the end caramelises into a sticky, tangy lacquer. Almost all of the time is hands-off — you just need a smoker holding 250°F and an afternoon.

Ingredients

• 2 racks pork spare ribs, about 5 lb total
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder or sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pats

• 1/2 cup mango chutney
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Pat the ribs dry, slide a butter knife under the papery membrane on the bone side of each rack and pull it off with a paper towel. Smear both sides thinly with the yellow mustard as a binder.
2. Stir together the brown sugar, salt, garam masala, cumin, Kashmiri chilli, turmeric and black pepper. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of the racks, pressing it in, and let them sit at room temperature while the smoker comes up to heat.
3. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking at 250°F (120°C) with 3 to 4 chunks of pecan wood (apple works too). Wait until the smoke runs thin and blue before the meat goes on.
4. Lay the racks bone side down on the grate and smoke undisturbed for 3 hours. Mix 1/4 cup of the cider vinegar with 1/4 cup water in a spray bottle or small bowl and spritz or brush the ribs lightly at the 2-hour mark and again at 3 hours. The bark should be deep mahogany and dry to the touch.
5. Lay each rack meat side down on a double sheet of heavy foil, top with the butter pats and a splash of the vinegar-water, and wrap tightly. Return to the smoker for 2 hours, until a probe slides into the meat between the bones with no resistance and the internal temperature reads 200-203°F (93-95°C).
6. Stir the mango chutney with the remaining 1/4 cup cider vinegar, breaking up any large mango pieces. Unwrap the ribs, drain off the foil juices, brush the tops generously with the glaze and put them back on the grate uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes at 250°F until the glaze is tacky and set.
7. Rest the racks loosely tented for 15 minutes, then slice down between the bones and serve with any leftover glaze on the side.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-Pot Chicken Creole

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem