What are Kansas City style ribs?

Not being from Kansas City or anywhere near there I was wondering what makes Kansas City ribs different from other types of ribs. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there that wonder the same, so here is what I have found.

According to some barbecue experts, it’s all in the rub. Kansas City ribs are covered in a thick, sweet rub that usually contains brown sugar. They also mention Memphis Style ribs differ from the Kansas City ribs because they have a more spicier rub and use little or no sugar. Traditional Carolina barbecue sauce consist of a mix of peppers with vinegar — a bit spicy. Texas sauce takes a tomato base, thinned out with Worcestershire and vinegar and add a lot more hot peppers. Kansas City sauce however is the best of both worlds. The result: a medium spicy, tomato based sauce that doesn’t fall off the meat into the fire.

Kansas City ribs are prepared as followed (some techniques may differ): The ribs are first rinsed with water and the backside membrane peeled off. Then the ribs are evenly coated with your rub and you may refrigerate overnight to let the flavors set in nicely. Make sure you let the ribs sit at room temperature before you throw them in the smoker. Some people baste (sometimes called a mop) their ribs while they smoke however this may wash off the rub you have already applied. You may even put some of the rub seasoning into your baste so you don’t loose any of the flavor you are reaching for.

It is said to not to add sauces until the very end of the cooking process or after you have slow smoked your ribs and they are out of the smoker. Sauces can cause burning or excessive caramelization to the ribs.

Let’s recap shall we? Kansas City ribs should be rid of the back rib membrane, KC ribs definitely should be covered with a rub, slow smoked for lots of smoky flavor. You may or may not baste depending on your preference, however many Kansas City barbecue experts prefer to remove the ribs from the heat source, cut, sauce them up then serve. There you have Kansas City style rib cooking in a nut shell folks. I’ll leave you with a couple of recipes — KC Style Rib Rub and KC Style BBQ Sauce:

Kansas City Rib Rub

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 3/4 tablespoon garlic powder
• 3/4 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne

PREPARATION:

Combine all ingredients together and transfer to an air tight container.

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Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cayenne

PREPARATION:

Heat oil in a saucepan. Add garlic and sauté until brown. Add remaining ingredients and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes until thick.