Mocha Barbecue Rub

A rack of Baby Back Ribs, Brisket, Boston Butt, what do these have in common? When cooked in a smoker or oven they are some amazing dishes. And I will go over both smoker and oven methods in this post. Cooked slow with low heat. Allowing the connective tissue to breakdown and become delicious. And the spice rub makes the dish. During the slow cook it creates a bark on the outside and the flavor permeates the meat. Mocha barbecue rub is one of those.

I learned how to turn my trusted Webber Kettle into a smoker. How to arrange the coals in such a way that I could cook at a low temp for hours. The smokiness permeates the meat. When done, slice the meat, you’ll see that red fire ring, and the center is juicy. But it’s the rub that makes it, the bark on the outside. There are literally hundreds of different rubs available. Some from the store, and some custom.

What it is

When it comes to a good rub, well, with all due respect to the rubs and seasonings available in the stores, homemade is without a doubt the best. There are a lot of experienced knowledgeable smokers out there that are willing to share their recipes. But that’s just a start. You take something that looks good, over time and cooking, you tinker with the ingredients. You need just the right heat, spice and flavor

This particular rub started out as a basic coffee rub, but over time and cooking, well, it became better. I use this rub on baby back ribs. I go to my local butcher and he cuts the rib rack custom, he leaves about 1″ of meat on the back of the rack, this is essentially loin meat, very good, and ideal for this application. The amount of rub here is about enough for two full racks. If you have left over, store in a sealed container in a cool place, it’ll be good for a few months. Just make sure you don’t put dirty hands into the rub. Also, when dealing with raw meat, please follow some basic safety rules, read this post.

What’s in it

It started as a coffee rub, so it contains coffee. I use expresso, its ground finer and mixes better. Start with 6 tablespoons of expresso coffee, to that we’ll add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, this is what makes it really good, like a mocha. Also, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, this will give it a caramel flavor and char up nicely in the smoker or oven. Follow up with 2 tablespoons each of coarse salt, paprika, and coarse pepper. And round out with 2 teaspoons each of onion powder and garlic powder, and finally 1 teaspoon coriander. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and use a fork to mix up, the fork helps to break up the brown sugar that is probably clumping

How to use it

This rub can be used in many ways. For this post, I am using it on a rack of baby back ribs. You could use it on Brisket or Boston Butt. The best way to slow cook any meat is in a smoker, however, maybe you don’t have one, or can’t have one where you live. Well, you can use your oven, OK, there’s no smoke, but there is a constant temperature. The process in an oven is nearly the same. The outcome, although missing the smokiness, is still delicious, and, damn, does the house smell good.

The prep starts the night before. I always like to allow the meat to marinate in the rub in the fridge overnight, this allows the flavors to permeate. A rack of ribs has a membrane on the inside of the rib bones, most times it will not have been removed when the ribs were processed. Unlike the fat, gristle and connective tissues, it doesn’t break down during cooking. It’s not hard to remove, grab the edge of it with a paper towel for grip, and gently pull away, use a spoon handle to separate the membrane from the ribs. Don’t use a knife, you don’t want to tear it. There are a lot of videos on this subject. Now, apply the rub to the meat, massage it well into all the cracks and crevices, make sure its completely covered. Wrap the rack in saran wrap and put on a plate and put it in the fridge overnight.

The cooking process

Now for the good part, cooking. No matter how you cook a rack of ribs, it’s going to take 6 hrs. either in the oven or in the smoker. The technique, however is different. On the smoker I use the 3-2-1 method. That is, for 3 hrs. the rack is unwrapped in the smoker, then wrapped for 2 hrs. then open the last hour, and brushed with a mop during that last hour. In the oven, I don’t wrap the ribs at all, leave them open and brush with a mop every hour. The mop is a liquid to brush on the ribs as they cook, helps with moisturizing and tenderizing. Simple to make. 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, this is a tenderizer, 1/2 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of the rub mix. Stir them well to mix, and brush on the ribs. This same mop can be used with any rub. In this case mocha barbecue rub, but just substitute with whatever rub you’re using

The smoker

So, lets get to work. Set the smoker temp at 225 degrees, lay the rack of ribs on the rack and set the timer for 3 hrs. During this time the ribs will absorb the smoke from the smoker and the rub will start to do it’s thing. At the 3 hour mark, wrap the ribs in foil and put back on the smoker. The idea of wrapping them is to prevent them from drying out. Around this time the connective tissue is starting to breakdown into delicious gelatinous goo, you don’t want that to dry out. Set the timer for 2 hrs. After 2 hrs, unwrap the ribs, there will be liquid in the foil, so just cut the top of the foil off and leave the ribs sitting on a foil bed. Set the timer for 1 hr. Now to brush them well with the mop, and again after 1/2 hr. When the timer goes off, remove, transfer to a serving dish, You really don’t have to let them rest, and you won’t be able to.

The oven

So, a smoker isn’t available. If you live in an apartment or condo, or you just don’t have one. Well you shouldn’t have to miss out on the fun. The prep for the ribs is the same, and you’ll need the mop. Set the oven to 225, lay the rack on a piece of foil on an appropriate sized baking tray, and put them in the oven. Every hour, brush generously with the mop. That’s it. After 6 hrs, remove to a serving tray and enjoy. There is a science to cooking low and slow, but it’s not rocket science. The combination of the slow cook and the mocha barbecue rub is absolutely delicious, everyone will enjoy. Serve with sides of your choice. I usually choose southern style sides, sweet potatoes, collards, something like that. Thank you and enjoy