Loading ...How To: BBQ Ribs
While your pitching quoits and watching some college football this Labor Day weekend, why not complete the trifecta of Manliness and treat yourself to a rack of Ribs? Im not sure it gets any Manlier then a full rack and a couple of cold beers, but before you go order Chili’s takeout, I suggest you Man up and think about what your doing…
“BBQ Ribs” have become so popular they often flood the menus of chain restaurants and local establishments yet are rarely the “real thing”. I can tell you right now, braised and grilled is not the same as slow smoked… and if you think you’re getting the best at Chili’s rib fest you’ve got a lot to learn!
The heirarchy of pork ribs goes like this:
One Star: Buffet Style Ribs-ribs that are barely a grade above dog food. You never know what your getting because these puppies can be rib meat from a pig or cow, processed meat thats compressed into rib form… who knows! (At chinese buffets, they are actually made from puppy ribs). These ribs are either tougher than a leather shoe or so overcooked theres no texture left to them. They usually have the membrane still intact and are barely worth your time. Trust me, your getting no good deal at the OCB when they’re offering all you can eat ribs for 14.99!
Two Star: Chain Restaurant Ribs-these are good tasting ribs the public has been tricked into thinking are the best. If Chili’s ribs were truly that great they wouldn’t have to spend millions of dollars to stuff that annoying “I’ve got my baby back” song down all our throats. Chain restaurants typically braise their ribs and finish them on the grill. By doing so they cook a lot of the flavor away and substitute it with overpowering seasoning and sauce. The fall off the bone texture is also a misconception. True BBQ ribs have a “gentle pull” that allows you to bite into the meat without tearing all the meat from the bone. See for yourself and you’ll soon appreciate all these little intricacies that make the difference. Don’t get me wrong, Chili’s make a great rib, but compared to a slow smoked BBQ rib, they don’t have a chance.
Three Star: Local BBQ Joints-these are the best ribs your gonna get without doing it yourself… but proceed with caution! Some “BBQ Joints” dabble in the shortcuts previously mentioned. Identify how each establishment makes their ribs and critique them accordingly. Don’t just assume the billowing smoke out back means authenticity. Properly trimmed ribs with little gristle, removed membrane, good smokey flavor with a smoke ring and tender meat that doesnt just fall off the bone are all things you want to be looking for. There are 4 local “BBQ joints” in my immediate area and only one does it right.
Four Star: Ribs you BBQ yourself- Beleive it or not, you can be producing competition quality ribs with just a little practice. Once you get a refined rib pallet, you’ll soon realize what a real rib should taste like and the only thing you’re gonna settle for is a slow smoked rib you do yourself. With a few racks from your grocery store and a couple runs on your smoker, you’ll be making competition quality ribs in notime. Heres how you do it:
1) Pick your meat. Your two options are baby back ribs and spare ribs. Baby Backs are from the back loin of the pig. The bones (11-13) are smaller in width and length, yield less meat then a spare but are typically more popular because they are less fatty and relatively easier to smoke. Look for baby backs that are about 2 lbs, lean and meaty. If you see any “shiners” (exposed bone) across the meat side of the rack, the butcher trimmed too much meat off and your better off looking for a rack with meat around the entire bone.
Spare ribs come from the lower portion of the pig, specifically under the belly and breastbone. Spares are less expensive than baby backs because they are often fattier (which is often a very good thing when slow smoking for 6 hours). Spares have 11-13 bones and are considered by many BBQ enthusiast the superior rib.
2) Trim your ribs. Before you do anything, you’ll want to trim the membrane from the inside of the ribs. By doing this, your ribs will be much more tender and allow for better smoke and seasoning penetration. If nothing else, by removing the membrane, your ribs will already be a step ahead of most chain restaurants out there! To do it, take a butter knife and run it between the first rib bone and the thin layer of membrane that runs down the inside of the ribs. Carefully slide the knife through and pull the membrane away- grabbing it between the knife and your fingers and pull it down away from the entire rack. Next, trim excess pieces of fat and gristle from the ribs. Be careful not to over trim- most small pieces of fat will render throughout the smoking process.
Note: you’ll be sending me hate mail for how easily i just described this process and how difficult it will be your first time… but don’t quit! With a little practice, you’ll be able to trim an entire rack in just a few seconds!
3) Rub Your Ribs. Apply a liberal dusting of your favorite rub. You can either make your own or buy it in the grocery store… whatever you choose be careful not to overpower the ribs with something too spicy, salty, etc. If you want to cut right to the chase, you wont find a better rub than these: Best Ribs In The Universe and Magic Dust. Two hours before your ribs go on the smoker give them a liberal dusting and allow them to come to room temperature. Be careful not to over season or create any clumps with the rub. After 2 hours they should have a nice red coating of evenly distributed seasoning.
4) Throw ‘em on the smoker. I cook my ribs between 225 and 250 degrees following the 3-2-1 method for spares and a 2.5-1.5-1 method for baby-backs. Confused? Don’t be. The first number represents the hours in the smoker before you foil. The second number is the number of hours you leave them in the foil before unwrapping. Third number- how long you let them cook unfoiled while mopping with your favorite sauce.
All that said, your timeline for a batch of spareribs would look something like this:
11:00 AM trim your ribse, rub with seasoning on both sides and return to the refridgerator.
1:00 PM throw your ribs on a 225-250 degree smoker. Mild woods like cherry work best though hickory and oak will also work. Whatever you do, don’t over smoke! Barely a hint of smoke should ever be visable throughout the entire smoking process.
4:00 PM remove the ribs and wrap in heavy duty aluminum foil. Add a few tablespoons of applejuice to help keep the ribs moist. Return to smoker
6:00 PM unfoil the ribs. At this point the meat of the ribs should start pulling back from the bone: about 1″ in spares, a little less for babybacks. Apply your favorite bbq sauce every 15 minutes as needed.
7:00 PM you’re eating some of the best ribs you ever tasted.
Follow these easy steps and I guarentee you’ll never look at a rack of ribs the same way again.
Be A Man
-The Founding Father
I wonder what really is in the McRib…
I smoke ribs using a Weber Genesis gas grill and smoker boxes. I generally use hickory, but I’ve mixed apple and hickory also.
I use only the front burner and place the smoker boxes over the burner. After rubbing the ribs, I put then in a rack in a roasting pan that has one bottles’ worth of beer. The beer will cook up into the ribs, making them moist.
After 2 hours, I foil them, then grill on low flame for 2 hours.
I then have the option of freezing them for a quick weeknight ribfest, or saucing and grilling them.
That’s my method, my recipes are not available.