Grilled Blackened Beef Ribs with Whiskey BBQ Sauce

Next time you want to make beef ribs, try smoking the rack that'll stun Fred Flintstone. Spoiler alert: it's this one. Thanks to our pal Chef Kenneth Temple, we've got a fantastic blackened variant of the classic BBQ entrée! Better yet, it's an easy recipe with a serious kick right where it counts. Make pals with your butcher, get your hands on some quality beef plate short ribs, and roll up your sleeves for a delicious platter that practically cooks itself. Grilling this easy shouldn't taste this delicious — but today, it does!

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl, form your blackened seasoning by mixing together paprika, kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, white pepper, black pepper, dry thyme and dry oregano. When you’re done, reserve 2 teaspoons; we’ll use them later to give our whisky BBQ sauce some real kick.
2. Prepare the ribs by cautiously cutting away the silver skin. (We say “cautiously” only in that it’s too easy to carve out delicious fatty meat with it!) Space the ribs across a baking sheet. In a bowl, mix together Worcestershire sauce and water, then pour evenly over the front and back of both racks.
3. Brush the front side of the ribs with melted butter. Liberally season both sides of the ribs with blackened seasoning, then cover and set aside for 60 minutes. Not only does this marinate the beef, but it helps tenderize the meat before we get to grilling.
4. We need indirect heat for this recipe, so you’ll want to preheat the grill to 275–300°F using one end burner. Add the wood chips and wood chunks to the smoke box, light your wood chips, and cover them once smoking. Once those conditions are met, it’s time to get those ribs cooking! Set them with the largest bones closer to the heat.
5. While the ribs are cooking, it’s time to whip up the whisky BBQ sauce. Get a burner going at medium heat; in a medium pot, mix together ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, white vinegar, whisky, sugar cane syrup, and those 2 teaspoons of blackened seasoning (Told you we’d see them again!). Once consistently mixed, bring the pot to a full boil. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. After 4 hours have passed, check those ribs— rotate them, if necessary. They should already be showing off a nice, mean bark. But the best is still yet to come! Cover those ribs and let them sizzle along for another 2 ½ hours.
7. Once you can effortlessly pierce the meat adjacent to the bone with a knife, the ribs are done! Rest your racks for 10 minutes. Once ready, slice each rib from the bone and serve with whisky bbq sauce.