The Best Way To Grill Uncooked Ribs
The key is to keep the heat low and cook the ribs slow. Indirect heat is preferable, at a temperature between 250F to 300F. A rack of back ribs will take between 1 1/2 -2 hours to cook , and you should flip them approximately every 20 minutes. Baste with BBQ sauce each time you flip. To check for doneness and tenderness, insert a sharp-knife between two ribs, it should insert without any resistance.
Originally published July 2014.
How To Grill Pork Ribs Like A Pro
Whether its back ribs, side ribs or spare ribs the technique on How to BBQ the Worlds Best Ribs remains the same. Even for beef ribs which are completely awesome! Either way, choose a rack of ribs you like, follow the three steps below and make something fantastic for your guests with some tremendous flavour!
2 racks Pork ribs sides or back4-6 Tbsp House of Q Slow Smoke Gold½ 1 cup House of Q House Rub1 cup House of Q Apple Butter BBQ Sauce1/3 cup Maple syrup1/3 cup Apple juice foil
Ribs are great to cook on the grill. However to get tender ribs, there are a few steps to cooking them WITHOUT BOILING the ribs.
Start by removing the membrane on the back of the ribs. Lift an edge of the tough film and then use a paper towel to help you grab the membrane. If you have a good grip of it, you can pull the whole thing off in one pull. Smear Slow Smoke Gold mustard sauce all over the ribs and then coat both the back and the front generously with House Rub. Let the ribs sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes so the rub can start to draw moisture from the meat and stick to the ribs. If you move the ribs too soon, all of the rub will fall off.
Remove the racks from the grill and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Cut between the bones for each portion and serve.
Do I Have To Remove The Membrane On A Rack Of Ribs Before Grilling
No, it isnt an absolute must. But yes, its a good idea to remove the membrane on a rack of ribs before grilling. Use a knife to cut through the membrane and then, using a paper towel for grip, pull the membrane from the meat in one motion.
As with grilling the perfect rack of ribs, practice on this makes perfect.
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How Long Does It Take For Ribs To Cook On The Grill
If you are using a rib rack to grill the ribs, which we highly recommend, you will cook the ribs for 4 1/2 hours on the rib rack and then an additional 40 minutes wrapped in foil on the grill. If you are not using a rib rack, the ribs will cook for 3 1/2 hours on the grill and then an additional 40 minutes wrapped in foil on the grill.
Slightly Twist A Bone
Grab the tip of a bone from the middle of your slab and give it a slight twist. You should feel the bone easily start to break from the meat, indicating that your meat is the perfect tenderness. If the bone comes out without resistance, you might have cooked them a little too long. If it doesnt tear free from the bone at all, they might need to spend more time cooking.
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At 350 Degrees How Long Do You Cook Ribs On The Grill
Beef Back Ribs on the Grill Cook them quickly at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If properly seasoned, either way is great. When grilling ribs, keep in mind that the appropriate temperature and grilling duration will result in juicy, delectable ribs. Now that you have all of this knowledge, its time to start grilling!
Turn Your Gas Grill Into A Smoker Using Smoke Bombs Or Grill Smoker Boxes
Cooking on a gas grill has plenty of perks, and convenience is at the top of the list. Theres no need to wait for the coals to ignite and die down to the proper temperaturejust set the flame jets to low, and youre ready to get going.
However, because these grills dont impart much flavor on their own, its in your best interest to add some natural wood smoke to the mix. If you want to learn how to cook ribs on a gas grill without sacrificing flavor, this is an essential step. Thats where smoke bombs and grill smoker boxes come into play.
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Picking A Good Rack Of Ribs
First and foremost, picking the right piece of ribs is just as important as the actual Grilling, because you want good quality and flavorful meat.
There are two basic types of Ribs that you will find, the SPARERIB and the LOIN BACK RIB.
Ribs are usually either split pork chops, cut from the loins blade end, or ribs cut from the shoulder, which is closest to the loin. They are good ribs, but not your classic style ribs.
When buying ribs, whichever type you choose, always make sure that there is some meat on the bones and no significant surface fat areas. Likewise, make sure that there are no exposed bones because they can fall out during the Grilling process.
The best Quality Ribs are fresh ribs and not frozen ribs if you can manage this. However, always discard Ribs discolored or have dried-out edges or any indication of freezer burn.
Another warning that I would like to give is on Enhanced Ribs, because they may taste artificial and can end up being much too salty. Rather season your ribs with your favorite spices or marinade.
How Do You Foil
- Preheat the grill to medium-high.
- Blend the barbeque sauce, marmalade, and pepper sauce together until smooth.
- Half of the ribs should be placed in a single layer in the centre of a large piece of heavy-duty foil. Raise the long sides of the foil.
- Grill for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the ribs are cooked through. Return the ribs to the grill after removing them from the foil wrappers.
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Remember Youre Smoking Not Bbqing
This may seem like a strange distinction, but its an important one. Youve likely seen a friend barbequing and getting a little over-enthusiastic with the fire, which results in slightly charred meat. When youre only cooking meat for a short time, you can get away with this for the most part, but thats not the case for smoking. Your ribs should not be cooking over a direct flame. If youre using a modern grill, like our Z Grills, this wont be a problem, but it is something to keep in mind. Remember, smoking is a marathon, not a sprint, and maintaining a constant, low temperature is essential.
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!
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Is It Necessary To Boil The Ribs Before Grilling Them
Many individuals wish to know how to prepare ribs. Spareribs are popular for barbeque since they do not require moist heat. This cut of meat is taken from the pigs breast or side, and it has less meat surrounding the bone. Spareribs can be baked in addition to braised. Baby back ribs are a meatier, more tender option. These are made from the loin section and can be baked, braised, or barbecued. Country-style ribs are an even meatier option. These are made up of rib or backbones from the loin. Country ribs, on the other hand, are usually baked or braised rather than barbecued.
To achieve the best tenderness, ribs should be cooked gently. To help tenderise the meat, ribs are frequently cooked or oven-steamed before grilling. To steam ribs in the oven, arrange them in a big baking pan with about 1 inch of water in it, cover with aluminium foil, and bake for about 50 minutes at 350F. The instructions for boiling ribs before grilling are included in the recipe.
What Type Of Ribs
The first thing that comes to mind for many when they think of ribs is classic pork baby back ribs.
While these are an incredibly popular option, there are actually quite a few more types of ribs out there to choose from. And which type of ribs youre cooking can make a pretty big difference on how long you should grill ribs.
Compare pork baby back vs St. Louis style ribs for example. Each come from a pig and are actually cut right next to each other on the rib cage. But baby back ribs are markedly more tender and therefore require less time in the heat, reducing the required cooking time for a rack by as much as an hour.
Youll also notice below that theres a fairly wide range of time we recommend for how long to grill ribs. The reason is because there can be a little bit of variance in size between rib slabs, and not all rib slabs are created equal. Bigger slabs will require a longer time on the grill than smaller ones.
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How Do I Season A Rack Of Ribs For Grilling
Add canola, grapeseed, or avocado oil all over the top and bottoms of the ribs, as an adherent. Put only one rub on the bottom of the ribs. Try not to use a rub with a lot of sugar. That sugar can burn and taste bitter.
Doug uses Head Country Original Championship Seasoning. On the tops of the ribs, Doug advises to layer the flavors. Try using 2-3 seasonings there.
Try putting the Original down first, then layer on High Plains Heat second. Then, spritz it and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Grilled Ribs On The Bbq
There is no fancy recipe here, were simply making grilled ribs on your barbecue and have them come out tender, juicy, and just about ready to fall off the bone. A little tug and the bone is stripped clean!
If youd like some of my funky and delicious BBQ sauce recipes, head on down to the bottom of the page and find a list of goodies just before the recipe card.
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Grill Ribs On Your Bbq
Grilling ribs at home on your barbecue grill is something that you should try this weekend. Its easy to make grilled ribs and theyll come right off the bone, just like they would if you slow cooked them on a smoker.
Follow along to make this grilled ribs recipe on your gas or charcoal grill.
This is literally the only way I cook ribs now and they come out perfect every time. I even use a variation of this method when I make bacon wrapped ribs!
Theres no reason to be intimidated by grilling ribs. I was a little standoffish the first few times I tried cooking them this way. But not anymore.
After all, the 3-2-1 method has been around for ages and everyone will tell you thats the best way to cook ribs.
But what if you want to make them quickly, and not spend hours tending them?
No need to wait hours for your food to be ready, this recipe makes perfectly grilled ribs in just about an hour!
Should You Wrap Your Ribs
Is the wrapping step truly necessary? Not always, but we would definitely recommend it. Heres why.
Wrapping the ribs in foil allows them to retain much of their moisture. When you add apple juice or beer, as weve done here, the liquid will create a steam bath for the ribs, giving them a juicy tenderness as they cook through.
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What Items Will You Need
Before you begin, you should make sure you have all the ingredients and tools necessary for cooking ribs on the grill. Heres a checklist to help you get started.
Tip: Be sure to have all your tools ready to avoid delays. Use high-quality aluminum foil, thin aluminum foil will break when wrapping the ribs.
- High-quality gas grill with plenty of fuel
- At least 1 full rack of pork ribs
- Chefs knife
- Seasoning rub
- Beer or apple juice for steaming
- Prepared wood chips, slightly damp
- Your favorite barbecue sauce
- Wire grill brush
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Who’s ready for grilling season? If you’re like me summertime means grilling and grilling means ribs! And of course ribs means cooking in the oven and heating up the house…
Not anymore, these tender spareribs are cooked on the grill!
- No slow cooker, pressure cooker or cooking the rack in the oven first!
Yes, you heard me right these ribs are cooked entirely on the grill. It’s super easy to do, the hardest part is waiting for them to be done.
Ok… so today we’re talking spareribs. But these aren’t made in the pressure cooker, these are made entirely on the grill. That’s right, no oven, no pressure cooker… no problem!
If you don’t have a gas grill this can certainly be done on a charcoal grill, just cover and monitor the temperature of the grill with a heat thermometer.
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How Long To Cook Ribs On The Grill
Ive found that the sweet spot for cooking ribs on the grill is about one hour. Yes, many barbecue restaurants will cook for hours and hours. This is more of a slow-cooking method and theyve got pitmasters to watch those grills like a hawk for hours at a time.
I personally dont have time for that. So if you want to cook pork ribs on the grill at home, I recommend grilling them for 45 minutes with just the dry rub, then dousing them with bbq sauce, flipping them over, and grilling for an additional 15 minutes.
If youre cooking grilled beef ribs, you may need a little more time simply because beef ribs are typically bigger than pork ribs. Adjust your initial cooking time by adding about 15 minutes. If the ribs have an internal temperature of between 200 and 203 degrees F, theyre done and you can move onto the saucing step!
How To Cook Ribs On The Grill For Beginners
Using recipes when cooking ribs for the first time can be beneficial. You just have to follow each step and include each ingredient in the recipe, and your ribs will turn out delicious, right? Not always.
When it comes to smoking ribs on the grill, you need to have basic knowledge of how to choose a good slab of ribs and how to properly prepare them. If youre a beginner, take the time to learn these 10 helpful rib smoking tips to land you the best results.
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Pre Cooking And Grilling Ribs
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and place the foiled ribs on the baking sheets. Bake the ribs to the tender point, not until it tumbling apart. For baking, baby back ribs took almost two hours, while spare ribs took three hours. However, the timing might fluctuate with the ovens condition or statistics.
Once its done, unwrap the ribs very carefully. Please dont waste the parted juice store it in a heatproof measuring cup for later use. Now let the ribs cool down completely you can use these baked rubs for grilling up to three days ahead. Now re-wrap the ribs for a grilling session!
If you have a charcoal grill, then build a medium fire in it, or for a gas grill, the high flame is suggested. Add broth or water to the stored rib juices, whisk the BBQ sauce to make a blend texture. Now grill the sauce basted ribs for seven to ten minutes. Once it gets done, transfer the ribs on the cutting board and cut them in a restaurant-style. Transfer the separated ribs to the platter and serve with BBQ sauce.
