Roof-smoked ribs turned out to be an unqualified success. I let the meat marinate in the fridge overnight in my secret BBQ sauce (key ingredient: a healthy dose of the blueberry jam I made at the end of the summer) before putting them in the oven for an hour and a half at 350°. What emerged was an act of alchemy: sticky, succulent ribs with just the right finger-licking combination of sweet, salt, and smoke. Neither overcooked nor underdone, the meat had just enough bite to allow the full carnivore experience that it such a fun part of digging into a plate of ribs. At the last minute I tossed a handful of pomegranate seeds on top, too, which made for a light, clean crunch which complemented the layered textures of savory flavors.
All the rigmarole of seasoning the smoker on the fire escape and smoking the meat up on the roof turned out to be more than worth the effort. And it begs the question: what next?
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