The Secret To Perfect Ribs? It’s The Bacon STACK!
Bacon Stacked Ribs Cooked Like a Roast
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Introduction
Bacon Stacked Ribs: Cooked Like a Roast on the Komodo Kamado 38
What's up BBQ fans! Today on the patio, we're doing something completely different. I found a rib recipe in Adam Perry Lang's book Charred & Scruffed. It's the same book behind the direct-fire tomahawk I did recently. It treats ribs like a roast: stacked, wrapped in bacon, then basted and finished over direct heat. Six layers of flavor. Honestly, these might be the best ribs I've made in a very long time. Let me walk you through how I did it.
The Basting Sauce
This is the flavor base. Ideally you'd make it a couple of days ahead. I didn't, so I let it simmer 5–7 minutes to help everything come together:
1¼ cups extra virgin olive oil
10 tbsp grass-fed unsalted butter
½ cup rendered fat (the recipe calls for fat from the meat you’re cooking. I used Wagyu tallow)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp minced garlic (microplaned)
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp Spanish onion, microplaned into a paste
2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
Keep the acid component separate until the end: 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp ketchup, and 1 tbsp mustard.
The Ribs
I used Berkshire St. Louis–style racks. I didn't have four full racks, so I cut them in half and paired up pieces of about the same length, with the bones going in opposite directions so they stack like a roast. I also pulled the membrane. Cooked this way it never sees the fire, so there's no reason to leave it on.
The rub is the same one from the tomahawk video, run through a spice grinder into a very fine powder:
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp garlic salt (not garlic powder)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp black pepper
No binder needed. There's plenty of moisture on the ribs. Massage the salt in and let them sit for 10 minutes.
Then comes the bacon. I laid out good-quality hickory bacon, overlapping each strip about ¼ inch, stacked the ribs, and wrapped everything up tight. It went into the fridge for 30 minutes. The recipe has you wrap it in plastic and then foil and put it straight on the smoker. I've been down the microplastics rabbit hole lately, so I used the plastic wrap only to set the bacon, then took it off and rewrapped the stack tightly in foil.
The Setup
I fired up the Komodo Kamado 38 with the basket expander moved over and about half to three-quarters full of lump. I laid four pieces of Bear Mountain hickory across the bottom. I was out of propane, so no GrillBlazer (use code: RUMANDCOOK to save 10%) today. Instead I used a starter ball with a straw starter, sandwiched between layers of Fogo lump.
To get to 275°F I opened the bottom vent all the way and gave the top about four turns. Once it got close, I locked it in at about an eighth of a turn on the bottom and a half turn up top.
The Cook
Hour 1: Wrapped in foil, indirect side, 275–280°F
Hours 2–3: Foil off, indirect at about 285°F, with a fresh piece of hickory. I didn’t touch it for 2 hours
Baste: Pull the bacon off and set it aside (don’t worry, we’re keeping it). Separate the ribs and baste both sides with the sauce, without the acid yet
Finish: Bump the Komodo Kamado to 325°F, stir the acid component into the sauce, and go direct heat: about 5 minutes per side, flip and baste, repeat
The plan was 30–45 minutes of flipping and basting. I pulled them at about 25–27 minutes. Checking with the Typhur InstaProbe (use code: RUMANDCOOK to save 10%), they were reading 171°F and 181°F, and most importantly they felt tender. I probably could have gone a little longer, but I was hungry. While they rested for 5 minutes, I crisped up that bacon. I’ve been chewing on it the whole time.
The Taste Test
Tons of moisture dripping out, and a nice little smoke ring. Not huge, but it's there. These aren't traditional smoked ribs, and you can tell. You taste the thyme, the butter, the Worcestershire, all those layers, and it pops the second it hits your tongue. Then you get the smoky, juicy pork, then the bacon takes it up another level, and the basting sauce finishes it off.
Hands down some of the best ribs I've had in years. Light years ahead of a lot of the ribs I've cooked.
Adam serves them cut into individual ribs, tossed with the crispy bacon, some olive oil, your favorite barbecue sauce, and parsley as a board sauce. Trust me, the bacon alone is worth it.
Final Thoughts
If ribs are your thing, give this one a shot. It's not my recipe (it's Adam Perry Lang's), and it takes a few extra steps, but you'll be thrilled with the result. The one change I'd make is to leave them on a little longer during the direct-heat finish. And if you can, make the basting sauce a day or two ahead so the flavors really come together.
Thanks For Watching
Whether you're a seasoned pitmaster or a novice, these tips will enhance your cooking skills and leave your family and friends raving about your delicious, smoky creations. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more step-by-step videos, and let's together become the barbecue heroes we were meant to be!
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