Souvlaki Ribs
While I don't shy away from grilling in the winter, it does feel more like a chore than the enjoyment I get out of it during the nice weather months. That inevitable leaves me wondering by the end of the winter if I'm kind of over grilling all the time and also keeping this site running, but the day always comes that I feel reinvigorated and totally back in. On that day this year, I made these really stellar Souvlaki ribs.
Greek food is often the backbone of my Spring grilling as it handles the season nicely with the desire to be outside cooking, but also still having heartier meals before I opt for even lighter fare during the hotter months. Greek cuisine is often hot and fast cooking, but on this particular day I already had the smoker going for another recipe, so decided to make use of the existing space and heat and see how my tried-and-true souvlaki recipe faired on ribs cooked low and slow.
I developed my souvlaki recipe when I lived in the Greek-heavy neighborhood of Astoria, Queens and we had great examples of this ubiquitous dish all over with the best being what was shared by our neighbors. So I have always felt this Souvlaki recipe was hitting just right for me based on those experiences and haven't wavered from it since initial development. What has changed over time is what the marinade of oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and onion is applied to, and on this particular day that was loin back ribs, aka baby backs.
I had split the rack into two so I could both make them fit into a gallon Ziploc bag, and make them more easily fit into the smoker too. I applied the marinade the night before and flipped the bag a couple times in the many hours of marinating to help ensure both pieces got good soaking time.
While I made these ribs in the smoker running at 255°F, I opted not to add any wood for two reasons—first was that smokiness isn't usually a dominant trait of souvlaki, and the second was that I also didn't want a heavy smokiness on the other thing I was cooking at the same time. I had set-up my smoker during my lunch break and was able to just let it go, monitoring the temperature from the computer using my Guru, until after work.
About five hours later the ribs looked like this and the doneness seemed spot on. The meat felt tender and looked juicy, while it wasn't so soft that it fell of the bone when lifting the ribs. I still had some heat left in the coals, so I decided to take one extra step with these ribs and get a little char in spots, which I often like on my souvlaki.
I removed the water pan from my smoker and rested one of the cooking racks right on top of the coal ring. I then placed the ribs, meat side down, on the grate and let them sit until there was deeper browning and some charring in spots. This didn't take long thanks to the rendering fat causing small flare ups that intensified the heat and got me the characteristics I was looking for quickly.
I wasn't quite sure how these ribs would sit with me because my favorite specimens are the ones with complex rubs and sauces, injecting a ton of flavor, while I'm not as into the more minimal variations like the simple salt and pepper treatment of Texas-style pork ribs. So I was pleasantly surprise with how much I loved these. The pork factor was definitely more front and center than with barbecue ribs, but the marinade injected a noticeable citrus brightness and herbal touch that elevated them and had them tasting similar to the souvlaki I'm so used to and love. I wholeheartedly recommend this recipe, especially if you're used to only standard barbecue ribs because these were a fine example on how different they can be.
