Smoky Meat and Peanut Butter and Jelly a ‘Perfect Marriage’

If peanut butter and jelly can be so good in a sandwich, could those flavors be transferred into meats?  The answer is yes! Try it on a rack of smoked St. Louis-style pork ribs.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Ribs

The sauce is super simple: a cup of creamy peanut butter (We recommend The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg All Natural Peanut Butter), a cup of your favorite fruit preserves (We recommend Graves Mountain small batch preserves), beer (your choice) and a little salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.

Remove the membrane (often called silverskin) from the inner portion of the ribs, and apply your favorite dry rub (equal parts paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder always works) to both sides of the meat as you would any traditional rack of ribs.
The end result is a bite of pork that mixes the sweet of the sauce with the saltiness of a dry rub, and the smoke infused into the juicy ribs.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Ribs
Makes 6 servings

2 racks St. Louis cut pork ribs
1 lager beer
¼ cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Rub

1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Sauce

1 cup fruit preserves (your choice)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup lager beer
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions: Remove excess fat and floppy meat from the ends of the ribs so they are mostly squared up. Remove the fat membrane (often called silverskin) from the inside of the ribs.

Mix the rub ingredients in a small bowl and give a light coating to both sides of the ribs. Refrigerate the ribs for at least 30 minutes, then bring back to room temperature before placing in the smoker.

Set the smoker to an internal temperature between 250-275 degrees. Place the ribs lengthwise in the smoker and smoke for one hour. Open smoker and mop the top side with lager beer (enough to heavily moisten). Turn the ribs 180 degrees so the opposite end of where you started is facing the firebox. Close the smoker and cook another hour.

Assemble the ingredients for the sauce in a large saucepan. Over the firebox, warm the sauce, stirring, until it’s smooth and easily runs off a spoon without sticking.

After the ribs have smoked for two full hours, mop peanut butter and jelly sauce to the top of the ribs. Sprinkle with more lager beer, 1-2 ounces, then wrap the ribs completely in aluminum foil. Cook another hour. Open the smoker lid and carefully remove foil (it will be hot) and discard. Apply another layer of the peanut butter and jelly sauce. Smoke for one more hour.

Ribs should be ready (well beyond the 145 degree internal temperature needed for safe consumption ... hopefully they are in the 180-185 degree neighborhood). Allow ribs to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts as garnish and serve. Adapted from BBQpitboys.com