How to BBQ Great-Tasting Pork Ribs - Dirty Harry

BBQ Season: How to BBQ Great-Tasting Pork Ribs


 

People confuse grilling with BBQing. It's not the same thing. BBQing involves a low heat and lots of time......and patience.

Before you read this, familiarize yourself with this Glossary of American BBQ Jargon:

a mop - a liquid used for basting meat during BBQing. Can be applied with a brush (if thick) or a spray bottle (if watery).
a dry rub - a mixture of spices which is applied to the meat before BBQing it.
dry ribs - ribs which have had a dry rub applied, and have not been marinated in a liquid marinade.
wet ribs - ribs which have BBQ sauce applied during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
baby back ribs - sometimes called loin ribs, are very lean ribs from the back of the pig close to the spine.

Big Daddy will explain all about the different kinds of ribs here:http://www.bigdaddyskitchen.com/bbq&grilling/ribs.htm



 There  is nothing like a rack of perfectly BBQed pork ribs. The trick to perfect ribs is time and temperature. It doesn't matter whether they're dry or wet. When you barbeque, pay attention to temperature more and worry less about time. Cook the ribs until the thickest part of the rack is at 170-180 degrees F. Most of the time I like my ribs dry, meaning no barbeque sauce is applied before (as a marinade), or during, the cooking process - but I usually have a sauce available for people who like barbeque sauce on their ribs.

Applying a mop, when cooking the ribs, will keep the ribs moist and add a little flavor. A great mop for ribs is to use 60% apple cider vinegar and 40% cooking oil. This type of mop can be applied with a small bottle sprayer found at your local grocery store.

For a perfect rack of ribs, follow the simple process described below. You will have great results every time.

1. Choose a rack of ribs, from your grocery store, which is pink in color, and has not been frozen. I prefer baby back ribs.

2. The night before you are going to cook the ribs, remove the membrane off of the rack of ribs. The membrane is a thin, plastic-like liner on the back side of the rack of ribs. If you leave the membrane on, the the ribs will not be as tender, as an end-result, as when the membrane is removed. To remove the membrane, use a sharp knife to separate the membrane from the ribs at the narrow end of the rack. When you have enough of the membrane separated, use your thumb and index finger to pull and separate the rest of the membrane from the ribs. I pull and cut with my knife at the same time to ensure I remove all of the membrane. With a little practice, you will get the hang of it.

3. Apply a thin coat of olive oil to the ribs. This will help the rub stick to the ribs.

4. Apply the rub to the ribs and let them sit overnight in the fridge. (Rub recipes at the end of the article.) If you want the wet ribs, do not apply BBQ sauce to the ribs until the last 30 minutes of cooking.

5. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator about one hour before you are going to cook them. They will be closer to room temperature by cooking time.

6. Heat your grill to 250 degrees F. I also use an oven thermometer, placed where the rack of ribs will lay, to insure that the temperature is 250 degrees at the cooking surface. Many thermometers built onto grills will actually be hotter that the actual temperature at the level the ribs are cooking at. 225-250 degrees F is the ideal temperature to BBQ ribs. 

If you use charcoal, you can use wood to smoke the ribs. Mesquite wood works well, but other types of wood may be used including hickory, apple, cherry, pecan, etc. It just depends on what flavor you are looking for. Using charcoal, and adding the wood will allow you to control how much smoke you are cooking with.

Sometimes I use a gas grill without the wood if I'm feeling lazy. 

7. Cook the ribs for about 4-5 hours, applying your mop about every 30 minutes to keep them moist. The thickest part of the rack of ribs should be at about 170-180 degrees F if a constant temperature was maintained while cooking. Instead of a mop you can use a pan full of water, containing beer or apple cider between the coals and the ribs, to maintain the moisture level and prevent the ribs from drying out. Don't let the ribs hang over direct heat or they will burn.

8. The ribs are done when the meat starts pulling away from the ends of the bones.

Enjoy the ribs!   


 Dry Rub Kansas City Style

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
3/4 tablespoon garlic powder
3/4 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne


 Dry Rub Memphis Style

4 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon dry mustard

 Dry Rub Spicy Style

1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cayenne (red) pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper