Grilled Cherry Bourbon Glazed Flanken Cut Pork Ribs
Costco was selling flanken cut pork ribs. Now, these were thicker than your normal flanken cut, so since they were about the thickness of a regular rack of ribs, I decided to grill them like I would party ribs. Behold: Grilled Cherry Bourbon Glazed Flanken Cut Pork Ribs!
Things to know:
What’s the difference between St. Louis style ribs and regular ribs?
St Louis style ribs are simple trimmed down pork spare ribs, which gives them a rectangular, uniform shape which is perfect for grilling or smoking. These are NOT baby back ribs, as they are larger, richer in fat (which is flavor!) and have a larger surface area.
Are flanken ribs the same as short ribs?
No, they’re not exactly the same cut, but they typically come from the same area (beef short ribs), with the difference being the cut: Flanken ribs are cut thinly across the bones (like for Korean BBQ), while English-style short ribs are cut between the bones into thick, meaty chunks, requiring longer cooking, but both are delicious short ribs prepared differently. In my experience, finding flakes cut pork ribs is unusual.
How thick are flanken short ribs?
Flanken ribs are cut thinly across the bone, typically 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, creating strips with several small, round bone sections, perfect for quick grilling in Korean BBQ (Galbi) or Hawaiian styles, unlike English-cut short ribs which are thick and cut between the bones for slow cooking
How long do you let charcoal burn before cooking?
You should let charcoal burn for about 20-30 minutes before cooking (I do this in 2 steps). This ensures the coals are hot enough, have finished producing thick smoke and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and have had time to heat your grill.
Do you leave the vent open on a charcoal grill when cooking?
This depends on what you are cooking and what method you are using. Typically the lower vent is fully open and the top adjusted as necessary, but there are exceptions.
Ingredients
4-6 lbs flanken cut St Louis pork ribs
Your favorite cherry rub (we used Spiceology’s Cherry Chipotle Ale Rub)
Cherry Bourbon Glaze
2 cups tart cherry juice
1 cup cherry preserves
juice from 2 oranges
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup bourbon
1 T Dijon mustard
3 cloves minced garlic
1 T balsamic glaze
1. About an hour before you are ready to put them on the grill, season the ribs with a SPG type rub, place them on a wire rack and chuck them back into the refrigerator.
2. Light a started chimney full of charcoal briquettes and allow to ash over (about 15 minutes).
3. Pour the lit briquettes into a cone (or vortex) and place in the center of the grill.
4. Install the grill grates and allow the grill to heat for 10 minutes with both the lower and lid vents fully open.
5. Spray the grates with cooking oil. then place the ribs onto the grates. For a better smoke flavor, place a chunk of cherry wood on top of the briquettes. Cook for 45 minutes, rotating the lid 1/3 of the way around each 15 minutes to prevent hot spots and uneven cooking.
6. Create cherry bourbon glaze by combining all ingredients into a sauce pan.
7. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until it starts to thicken.
8. Remove the ribs from the grill, sauce them, then return them to the grates, replace the lid and allow to cook for 5 more minutes.
9. Remove the ribs from the grill, serve and ENJOY!
Equipment used:
Uniflasy BBQ Whirlpool for Weber Kettle 22
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