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Ribs on a BBQ

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I'm a carnivore. I like Ribs. Fall off the bone, sweet BBQ Pork ribs to be specific. Baton Rouge does 'em nice.

 

Last Summer, I decided to try to do BBQ Ribs. I found out after the fact that you should never boil ribs (if you're a novice). I ventured forward in ignorance and boiled 'em. Then I tried to BBQ them....what a mistake! Tough, no flavour. An unfortunate waste of ribs.

 

This year, I have a different plan. Unfortunately, I don't have a plan.

 

Here's what I've got to deal with:

Lots of raw White Eastern Cedar

Natural Gas fired BBQ

Pork Ribs

A disturbing willingness to make a marinade or BBQ sauce.

 

Can anyone propose any recipes or suggestions on how to do pork ribs using the above conditions?

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Well, I can't give you an exact recipe, because it changes every time, but there are some basics that will work for you.

 

I'm going to presume you are starting with full racks of ribs. Throw on some fresh garlic according to your affinity for garlic. Either crushed and chopped or some pre-chopped, like what you can get from Costco. Wrap the full rack in double foil, that is one sheet bottom, one sheet top and at minimum triple fold all edges. This is going to give you a nice neat little package. Onto a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about 2/2.5 hours at about 250/275, going to depend on your oven. You will notice the foil package will puff up, the ribs are almost going to be steamed, but will be beautifully tender. The way to go here is longer and lower, that is longer time with a lower temp equals more tender.

 

Then the sauce, here is where it changes all the time. I call them kitchen sink or empty fridge ribs, because I take all the condiments and bottles out of the fridge and empty them into a bowl and stir it up. Think mustard, (lots of kinds out there, I don't stock plain yellow), BBQ Sauces, PC memories of sauces, some Worcestershire, maybe a bit of vinegar, some balsamic, some oil, olive or other, and some more garlic is never a bad idea. I'm sure you can find an exact recipe if you want something precise, but don't knock the fridge recipe till you give it a go, just have faith. Oh, it also never hurts to add some booze, rum is really good! But whatever your taste.

 

So now you have some baked garlic ribs and a bowl full of sauce, the amount of sauce you need is based on how many racks you are cooking, I have done up to I think six racks at once, that is a lot!

You need a large pot, or some sort of large vessel to stack the ribs in. First cut the ribs into twos or threes, or singles if you like, but easier on the BBQ later as threes. Take your cut up ribs and stack them into your chosen vessel on edge to get as many in as possible, then pour in your sauce all over the ribs. Let them sit for about two days - did I mention this is a lot of work...but worth it! I have marinated them post cooking for one, two and three days. The longer the better, it is just a matter of how much lead time you have to get all this ready. While they are marinating move them around, that is flip them so the other cut side is sitting in the sauce or at minimum make sure they are all coated with the sauce a couple of times a day.

 

When you are ready, turn on the BBQ and go to town. I like to start bone down, and of course low heat. Baste them with spoon fulls of the sauce as they cook, it gets a bit messy on the BBQ, but if you use Grillgrates (a whole other conversation) it works very well. I often flip them a couple of times just to prevent any significant burning, but a bit of BBQ char is a good thing. They can be basted on both sides. Then, well, ENJOY!!

 

This turned out a lot longer than I planned when I started, and now I'm hungry for my ribs....let me know if there are questions or if I forgot anything, and also how it works for you!

 

Just realized I forgot the cedar, - if you have skills you can probably whittle some sweet little trinkets while you wait on the marinating.....

Good Luck!!

Edited by womanwhorshipper
forgot the cedar...
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Its very difficult to do ribs on a gas BBQ.

You need smoke and slow cooking to achieve what Jabba is looking for.

Get a Weber charcoal grill or a Kamado grill if you can spend a few more dollars.

Try either of these and a gas grill is just going to sit there unless you need a sock dryer.

 

Keep it simple too.

Find a rib rub recipe and try that out and adjust to your taste.

Keep the sauce simple too with as few ingredients as possible to get your taste.

 

Ribs need to cook about 4-6 hours anyway and at a low temperature and they basically just sit in the grill. No more difficult than baking a cake in terms of dealing with the oven.

 

You can serve dry with salt and pepper if required or with sauce on the side.

Brushing on sauce to coat them is an optional way to make them but not really the way BBQ is done.

 

NO CEDAR! Save that for storing cigars.

 

Here's a nice place to start some research.

 

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Kansas-City-Style-Spareribs-with-Barbecue-Sauce

 

Good luck with it.

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Mine are simple and tasty, I don't boil them in advance but I do cut them at each bone. I then take a spice mix of Hy's seasoning salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Place ribs in a large bowl and sprinkle liberally while tossing and mixing them.

The bbq at high heat, turning and adding more spice as needed. Don't over cook em and in 15 minutes you're good to go. No fuss no muss and very tasty.

 

Peace

MG

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I am experimenting to find the best method, and at the moment I give them a dry rub and letting them sit in the fridge overnight. Then I ball up some tin foil to cover the bottom of my slow cooker, and then cook the ribs for 4-6 hours. Then it's slather them with sauce and a brief finish in the BBQ or in the convection oven.

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I have had much success with pork with one simple recipe:

oyster sauce, freshly grated garlic, freshly ground pepper,

marinated for a couple of hours in the fridge.

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I have had much success with pork with one simple recipe:

oyster sauce, freshly grated garlic, freshly ground pepper,

marinated for a couple of hours in the fridge.

 

Sounds good - how do you cook 'em?

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i do my ribs in a crop pot and use back ribs i put the ribs in water with the spices and an onion for about 4 hours on low then drain them put them back in with bbq sauce for another 4 hours or less the meat falls off the bone

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What is your burner configuration on your grill?

If you can turn off one or 2 then you can do indirect cooking and get a decent result.

 

And I guess the other question is if you are looking for more authentic ribs like they would have at Ribfest or a more commercial version?

 

Baton Rouge btw are like an upscale McRib if comparing to something from a southern BBQ place.

 

Nothing wrong with them if you like the taste and texture but if you are looking for real BBQ then they don't really rank.

Apples and oranges kind of thing.

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What is your burner configuration on your grill?

If you can turn off one or 2 then you can do indirect cooking and get a decent result.

 

And I guess the other question is if you are looking for more authentic ribs like they would have at Ribfest or a more commercial version?

 

Baton Rouge btw are like an upscale McRib if comparing to something from a southern BBQ place.

 

Nothing wrong with them if you like the taste and texture but if you are looking for real BBQ then they don't really rank.

Apples and oranges kind of thing.

 

LOL - You hit the nail on the head: I'm a rank amateur, so I'm forced to use Baton Rouge as a baseline taste/texture level. I'm ashamed to fess up, but I wouldn't know an authentic BBQ rib taste if it slapped me upside between the ears. In answer to your question though, I wanna try different rib experiences.

 

Re my BBQ - I've got 3 burners. Two are located in the bottom, then I've got a strip burner at the back (which I rarely use). Also got a rotisserie feature. Can you do ribs rotisserie style?

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To do indirect cooking you only need one burner on.

 

What I would try.

 

Get some wood chips at Canadian Tire or one of the BBQ stores like the Fireplace Centre.

You soak those for an hour or 2 in water and then drain and wrap up in tin foil to make a sealed bag. Then poke some holes in the top. Maybe use an alumni pie tin and cover with foil. You are just trying to create smoke.

Place this on top of the burner or flavour bars, lava rock whatever.

 

Turn on one burner and get to about 250 degrees.

Put ribs on the side that is not lit and a pie tin of water on the lit side.

 

What you are trying to make is low cooking temperature with nice clean smoke and with some moisture.

 

Experiment with this using without using a bunch of ribs.

 

Every grill is different and it a game of patience and learning

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