South Dakota Corncob-Smoked Ribs

SERVES 4 TO 6

A gas grill can't do these corncob ribs justice, so please use charcoal. The test kitchen's favorite ketchup is Heinz Organic.

INGREDIENTS

SAUCE
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

RIBS
5 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 racks (2 1/2- to 3-pounds each) pork baby back ribs, trimmed and membrane removed
1 cup cornmeal
6 corncobs, kernels removed and reserved for another use

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE SAUCE: Whisk all ingredients together in medium bowl to combine; set aside.

2. FOR THE RIBS: Combine sugar, salt, and pepper in bowl. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and rub with sugar mixture; set aside. Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap cornmeal in foil packet and cut several vent holes in top.

3. Open bottom vents of charcoal grill halfway. Place 13 by 9-inch disposable aluminum roasting pan on 1 side of grill and fill pan with 2 quarts water. Arrange 3 quarts unlit charcoal briquettes on opposite side of grill. Place cobs on top of unlit briquettes. Light large chimney starter filled halfway with charcoal briquettes (3 quarts). When top coals are covered with ash, pour over cobs and unlit coals. Place cornmeal packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot and cornmeal is smoking, about 5 minutes.

4. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place ribs, meat side up, on cool part of grill opposite coals. Cover, positioning lid vent over ribs, and cook until ribs are deep red and tender, 3½ to 4 hours, rotating ribs and switching positions every hour. (Do not flip ribs.) During last 30 minutes of cooking, baste ribs every 10 minutes, rotating and switching ribs each time. Transfer ribs to carving board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Cut ribs in between bones and serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

LAYERING THE FIRE
In South Dakota, they smoke their ribs on huge custom barbecue rigs using dried corncobs as the sole fuel. It makes sense—corn is what's around, after all. To adapt the method to a backyard kettle grill, we had to figure out how to configure the fire to get four hours of steady, corn-tinged smoke. Here's what we did:

1 cup of cornmeal in a foil packet
3 quarts lit charcoal
6 corncobs, husks and kernels removed
3 quarts unlit charcoal
Ribs on cool side of the grill
2 quarts water in a disposable aluminum pan