How To Prep Ribs
Before grilling, you will need to prep the ribs. Make sure to pat your ribs dry first so they’re easier to work with.
Then, using a sharp knife, trim off any excess fat and any silver skin you may see. Also be sure to remove the membrane covering the rib bones by using a butter knife to rib a little holl in the small end of the rack. Using the knife and a paper towel, pull the membrane away from the ribs.
Then, it’s time to apply the rub. For this recipe, make a herby mixture out of sugar, thyme, oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes and other seasonings. Season the ribs generously with this blend and let it marinate in the refrigerator. You can change the seasonings according to your palate. If you want a sweeter rub, add more sugar. Or if you want your ribs to have more kick, add extra cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. The ribs can be left in the fridge for up to two days. Just make sure you remove them from the fridge an hour or so before cooking ribs are best cooked from room temperature.
How Long To Grill Different Types Of Ribs On Your Bbq
Learn how long to grill the different types of ribs for the best results, from a high dry method, to the 3-2-1 method where they are wrapped for some of the time, and more.
Do you ever feel unsure of how long to grill ribs? It often comes down to personal preference many food-lovers prefer their ribs to fall off the bone, meaning theyre so tender, the meat will basically fall apart.
However, if you ask competition judges, they generally prefer the ribs to have some texture and not fall off the bone as you take a bite.
So, what is the perfect time? The truth is, theres a sweet spot that we always make sure to aim for to achieve those perfect ribs and were going to share it with you.
What Comes Before The Grilling
As opposed to sausages, steaks, and burgers, ribs require special attention before you actually put them inside an offset smoker or for example, a small bbq grill. When you buy a fresh rack of ribs, you cant just go on and put them on a hot grill grate expecting to be flavorful and juicy. Rib preparation includes:
Preparing a nice slab of ribs is not hard and there are no special requirements in terms of equipment, besides a solid grill. But, like everything in life, it requires the best ingredient of them all: patience. If you plan to do it fast, the best thing would be to reschedule the rib cookout, because there is simply no way to just storm through it.
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How To Grill Ribs On Indirect Heat
The final cooking method is to simply tenderize your ribs over the grates of your grill by cooking them for several hours over indirect heat. Heres how.
How To Cook Ribs On The Grill Perfectly Every Time
Grilling is far and away one of the best activities to do when summer comes around . But there’s a lot more to grilling then just turning the flame on high or getting your charcoals smoking and hoping for the best. Cooking ribs on the grill, for instance, takes careful preparation to guarantee that the meat is cooked well while also preserving the delicious flavor and tender fall-off-the-bone texture. Follow these steps and you can avoid making grilling mistakes.
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How To Make Tender Ribs
Perfectly tender ribs are actually easy to make with this method!
- Choose the right ribs, baby back or pork back ribs are the most tender and the best choice.
- Cook them low and slow in the oven until they become really tender.
- Ensure they are well sealed as they cook.
- These can be made with any sauce or even just salt & pepper.
- Broil or grill to get a little bit of color before serving.
Kitchen Tip Baked, Not Boiled!
Before grilling , ribs are cooked slowly to make them tender often people BOIL them.
Boiling ribs will make all their flavor seep out into the water and theyll be bland! The method below keeps all of the flavors, youll never boil ribs again!
Go Easy On The Seasonings
When it comes to seasoning ribs, you want to be very conservative good ribs have a great flavor all on their own and don’t need a lot of enhancement. It is also important to avoid adding barbecue sauce to ribs early in the process. Most barbecue sauces, whether store-bought or homemade, contain some kind of sugar . This can cause your barbecue ribs to burn, even when cooked indirectly.
Try using a good rub before you grill, and if you like, a barbecue sauce after the grilling is done. If you are adding a sauce, try using a mop. A mop is a thin barbecue sauce that you brush on during grilling to help maintain moisture and to add flavor. Sometimes you will hear it referred to as a baste.
You can also fill a spray bottle with a thin barbecue sauce, thin meaning it is practically water. Try a mixture of paprika, water, and a few other seasonings. By spraying the ribs with this mixture during grilling you will add moisture, reduce burning, and add flavor to your barbecue ribs.
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How To Make Tender Ribs On The Grill
- The first tip when cooking ribs is to always remove the silver skin membrane. Take a sharp knife and lift up the membrane at one end on the backside of the baby backs. If you use a paper towel once you start to pull it up it will come up super easily. You can check out this video from Barbecue Tricks to see the exact way to do it.
- Rub the dry spice rub onto both sides of the ribs to add flavor to every bite.
- Grilling on indirect heat at a low temp for a longer time also adds to the tenderness the ribs breakdown, but doesnt dry out and get burned by being on high heat.
- Grill the pork back ribs on indirect heat. Turn on the burners to low temperature heat. If you have a large grill, turn on the two outer burners and then set the ribs on the section where there are no flames. If you have a smaller grill, heat one side and leave the other side of the grill off.
- You may want to cut a full rack of ribs to smaller racks to fit on a smaller grill so they are completely off of any flame while slow cooking.
- If you want you can create a drip pan by making a foil pan with aluminum foil underneath them. Since its indirect heat you can lay the tray just below the ribs underneath the cooking grate where there is no flames to catch the drippings.
How To Grill Ribs On A Charcoal Grill
Youll set your charcoal only on one side and let them get super hot, then allow them to get to medium/ low heat before placing the ribs on the non-heated side. Because it takes 2-3 hours to grill the ribs, you may need to add some coals to the bbq. Youll need to pay special attention that the grill does not get too hot.
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Tips To Remember About Your Ribs
Youve probably heard this before, but ribs should not fall off the bone.
When perfectly grilled, they should be tender and moist. You should be able to cleanly bite the meat, or pull it from the bone with your fingers, but the meat should not just fall off. When you take a bite, some meat should stay on the bone.
Ribs that fall off the bone are an indication that theyve been boiled and steamed, or way overcooked, leaving them with a mushy, flavorless texture.
Here are more pointers to make the best ribs:
- Buy Baby Backs For the novice chef, try baby backs first. They are fast and easy to cook, tender and well-marbled.
- Remove the Membrane The membrane is tough and prevents smoke and rubs from seasoning your meat.
- Maintain consistent temperature Temperature is very important and worth mentioning again. For smoking, stabilize the temperature between 225°F to 250°F and for finishing, browning and sealing in the sauce glaze increase it between 325°F to 350°F
- Add time for sauce Allow at least 30 minutes near the end of your cooking time. Start by brushing on the barbecue sauce then closing the lid to let the sauce dry. Re-apply every 5 to 8 minutes until you build up that beautiful shiny glaze that is the signature of a perfect rib.
You cant hurry ribs no matter how hungry you are. Only the ribs can tell you when theyre done. Be patient and use one of the methods weve shared above. Theyll be worth the wait.
Happy grilling!
How To Cook Ribs On Gas Grill + Foil
- Joonas
- Las Updated on
Nothing says barbecue and grilling like ribs. And nothing is quite so satisfying as flavorful, moist, fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs. But getting ribs just right at home takes some ingenuity, patience, and a little bit of know-how.
There are many methods out there for perfecting your baby backs. Honestly, the method that works best for you will likely be a combination of multiple others.
Dont expect perfection on the first go. But if youre careful, its sure to be delectable no matter how you approach the recipe.
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Understanding The Difference Between Ready And Done
When it comes to good pork ribs there is ready and done. Just because theyre cooked doesnt mean they are at their best for eating.
Ready means that the internal temperature of the meat is a minimum of 145°F , they are cooked and the meat is safe to eat, but you probably wont like it. The meat will be very tough.
Done means the ribs have had a chance to gain a higher temperature of around 190°F to 205°F . Getting to this temp melts the fat and collagens that makes them tough, and instead makes them moist, tender and delicious.
How To Cook Tender Ribs In The Oven
In this recipe, the ribs are baked sealed, low and slow, for the most melt-in-your-mouth tender meat.
Serve with corn on the cob and of course Classic Coleslaw and Beans! Once you try this method, itll become your go-to!
TENDER RIB TIP
Once roasted, check your ribs a little piece with a fork. If the meat is not tender, they need MORE time. Seal them back up and add another 20-30 minutes.
If they are ready ahead of time, you can turn the oven off and let them sit for up to 1 hour if you dont open the oven.
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How To Make Baby Back Ribs In The Oven
Grilling not an option? Its super easy to make tender ribs in the oven too. Depending on the size of your oven you may need to cut them into smaller racks. Bake them in the oven at 275° wrapped in foil for 2 hours. Then remove the foil and cook for an additional 1 to 1.5 hours until the ribs temp is 200° or you can easily pull the meat off the bone
The first time I made these in the oven someone had given me some apple wood chips, so I now add a small pan of soaked wood chips to impart some nice flavors when I make them in the oven.
How Long Do You Cook Pork Ribs On The Grill
Normally I would recommend using an instant read thermometer to gauge the doneness of meat on the grill however, that method can be a little tricky with this method. Its recommended that pork is done around 145°F, but you need to cook pork ribs to around 190°F to 200°F to really break down fat and collagen, resulting in a tender finished texture. Also, given that the ribs are wrapped in foil, its hard to figure out where to put the thermometer without unwrapping the ribs.
Ive tested this recipe several times and have found that 1 hour over direct medium heat will give you tender ribs that dont fall off the bone . Just make sure youre maintaining 350°F 400°F within the covered grill, and the ribs will turn out great every time.
In this recipe, the ribs go back on the grill uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes longer to allow them to soak up hickory smoke and a barbecue sauce baste. Youre not really cooking the ribs during this phase just infusing them with flavor.
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How Long To Grill Ribs On A Charcoal Grill
Cooking time depends on grill temperature. The idea is to keep the grill at a consistent temperature of around 225°F .
Low and slow is the name of the game and why you need to give yourself plenty of prep time.
At 225°F , its going to take at least 5 hours, possibly just over 6 to cook them.
Although we want the internal temperature of ribs to be 190°F minimum, it doesnt mean theyre ready. It takes time to break down the connective tissues that make them tender, and sometimes we need to take them and slowly up to as high as 205°F
The basic timeline looks like this:
- 3 hours of smoking unwrapped
- 2 hours of cooking wrapped in foil
- 1 hour of cooking unwrapped at a higher temperature to finish
Your ribs may take more or less time depending on your grill. Remember to occasionally rotate them, check fire, smoking wood & water every 30 minutes.
Test for doneness, not time or temp, and you should be ready to serve perfect ribs. Ill talk about doneness in a moment.
How To Remove The Membrane From Ribs
You do not have to remove the membrane from the ribs, but I prefer the texture. If you dont see it, it is sometimes its already removed when you purchase them.
To remove it, slip a knife under the edge of the thin skin on the back of the ribs. Grip the edge of the membrane and gently pull it away from the meat. Discard the membrane.
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Grilling Ribs On A Gas Grill
Gas grills are more suitable for hot and fast cooking they arent ideal for low and slow cooking, but you can surely make it work.
What you need to do is create a two-zone fire by igniting only half the burners. Once the temperature is at a steady 225 degrees Fahrenheit, place the meat on half of the grill away from the burner.
When the meat is on the grill, it should take about the same time as a charcoal grill . Again, you must rotate the meat throughout the cook and wrap it in foil following the same guideline we mentioned above.
How To Choose The Best Ribs For Grilling
The best ribs for grilling really depend on your tastes and needs. In most parts of the United States, pork ribs are preferred, and they are the most common types of ribs. However, beef ribs, which are larger and have a deeper flavor, are also popular in places where BBQ beef is king, like Kansas City and many parts of Texas. Both of these take well to American-style barbecue sauces. Lamb ribs are also a great alternative, but theyre not as commonly eaten in North America as pork and beef ribs. Lamb has a gamier flavor that requires different seasonings that pork and beef ribs. There are many mouthwateringly delicious lamb rib recipes in Middle Eastern and East Asian cuisines that feature cumin, coriander and a lot of garlic.
Among pork ribs, there are several common varieties to choose from:
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