Posted: 9/3/2009 5:43:49 AM EDT
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Seems like there's a question on it pretty regularly.
My technique might not work for you (different equipment, etc.). So, I asked on a BBQ board where a bunch of competitors hang out...guys that win local, regional and national comps (including the Royal). This was a link posted as a response to my question...... Amazing Ribs I've been skimming it and it has a lot of good info...not a bad start for someone looking to learn to cook ribs (and other BBQ). Worth a look. And, before anyone asks....if you are going to boil your ribs....put your Pink Crocs on, put on your Brady Center Hat and I [heart] Obama T-shirt before you start cooking them.... AFARR |
i just get a few nice racks and some adams rub and add some secret spices to it (dillo dust and brown sugar) , and set em in the fridge overnight. Then bake at 185 for about 4 to 6 hours and i turn em once or twice during that time and slather with sauce a few times. When ready i throw em on the grill for a few minutes to glaze and caramelize with more Texas style BBQ sauce . People can't get enough of em. 
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4 BBQ Myths that should really, really die. Anyone who persists in advising people on how to BBQ that use these myths can be safely, and should be, ignored.
If you boil ribs the terrorists win Myth #1: Boil ribs to make them tender A lot of folks boil their ribs. Don't do it! You wouldn't boil a steak would you? When you boil meat and bones, you make flavorful soup. That's because water is a solvent and it pulls much of the flavor out of the meat and bones and makes the meat mushy. Boiling also removes vitamins and minerals. Ribs are most flavorful when roasted slow at low temps in the presence of smoke and humidity. If you are in a hurry, you are better off steaming or microwaving ribs and then finishing them on the grill or under the broiler. Just don't boil 'em! Myth #2: Pink pork is uncooked anatomy of BBQ baby back ribsWhen ribs are smoked they get an incredible flavor and a pink smoke ring. They're not raw! If they were, the pink would be in the center, near the bone. The pink is a by-product of the smoke and combustion gases. Click here to read more about rib science. and click here to learn more about the thermodynamics of outdoor cooking. Myth #3: The best ribs fall off the bone Properly cooked ribs are tender, but they should have some chew, similar to a tender steak. They should not be tough but if they fall off the bone, chances are they have been boiled or steamed. If you want something that falls off the bone, why buy something with a bone in it? Folks who know their barbecue also like their ribs with a bit of a crust on the outside, called affectionately "bark". Click here to learn what Amazing Ribs taste like. Myth # 4: Soak wood before using it When I soaked wood chunks overnight, they gained about 3% by weight. Chips gained about 6%. I cut the chunks in half and penetration was only about 1/16". DOH! That must be why they make boats out of wood! Wood doesn't absorb much water! If you toss wet wood on a hot grill, the small amount of water just below the surface will evaporate rapidly, negating any effect of soaking. On charcoal, the wet wood have the deleterious effect of cooling off the coals when it is important to hold the coals at a steady temp. |
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I use a gas smoker...so #4 doesn't apply...I put in dry chips, they are gone in 5 minutes...I soak them for an hour or two, they last about 30 to 45 minutes with a nice light smoke (that is JUST in the smoker tray on a Gas Smoker...I agree with him on a Charcoal smoker).
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| I grilled a rack of baby back ribs a few weeks ago. My wife put a rub of some sort on both sides of the ribs. I didnt ask her exactly what it was so I cant say. I set up the grill for indirect grilling. Coals on each side of the grill, and a drip pan in the middle. I grilled the ribs for about 1.5 hours at 325-350. I placed the vents on the lid of the grill in the middle, so the smoke would come up from both sides over the ribs and out the vents. I also added hickory wood chips to the coals and achieved the smoke ring the poster above described. Every half hour I sprayed the ribs with apple cider, and when there was about 30 minutes left to grill, I brushed on some barbecue sauce. A while back I purchased a book called How To Grill, and this is where I got the method from. It worked great. I wish I had had a decent camera at the time I would have taken a picture of them. |
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I use a gas smoker...so #4 doesn't apply...I put in dry chips, they are gone in 5 minutes...I soak them for an hour or two, they last about 30 to 45 minutes with a nice light smoke (that is JUST in the smoker tray on a Gas Smoker...I agree with him on a Charcoal smoker). If you wrap your chips with foil they'll last alot longer......make sure to poke holes in foil and hole side up... |
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Definitely agree. Up here "fall off the bone" is sort of an inside joke.
My contribution: Gary Wiviott (aka G Wiv), is a friend of mine who wrote an excellent book Low & Slow BBQ that is wornderful. Gary definitely knows his way around the grill and the smoker, and he's genuinely dedicated to the art. He hangs around on LTH Forun (a relatively non douchey food site). For a northern city, Chicago does pretty good by ribs. enjoy. |
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I use a gas smoker...so #4 doesn't apply...I put in dry chips, they are gone in 5 minutes...I soak them for an hour or two, they last about 30 to 45 minutes with a nice light smoke (that is JUST in the smoker tray on a Gas Smoker...I agree with him on a Charcoal smoker). If you wrap your chips with foil they'll last alot longer......make sure to poke holes in foil and hole side up... Won't work well...My Gas Smoker has two long, thin trays for the chips (about 3/4" high by 2 1/2" wide by about 12" long)...be a real pain in the ass to try to get a foil pack into the tray and close the tray up. AFARR |
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I use a gas smoker...so #4 doesn't apply...I put in dry chips, they are gone in 5 minutes...I soak them for an hour or two, they last about 30 to 45 minutes with a nice light smoke (that is JUST in the smoker tray on a Gas Smoker...I agree with him on a Charcoal smoker). how hot are you running it ? . I use gas also and use chips and chunks and find no need to soak |
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Running it at 225 to 250...the wood chip drawers are right over the burner.
Sorry for the crappy little pic, but it's the only one I can find (discontinued model). The lower door is for the gas tank, above it is the ignitor, temp knob and on either side are the small drawers. 
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I've got a 4-burner stainless steel gas grill with a 3-section grill surface. The night before, I'll rub the baby back ribs with whatever I have a taste for, and put them wrapped, in the fridge over night. The next day, a couple of hours before I intend to put them on the grill, I'll take them out of the fridge and let them sit on the counter (still wrapped) to get to room temperature. Then, I"ll make a smoke pouch with hickory chips (75% of them soaked for a couple of hours in water, the other 25% dry and put on top of the wet) and 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil, with holes poked in the top. The far left-hand grill surface comes off, and I place the smoke pouch directly on the far-left burner. Ribs go on the right-side of the grill (grill is cold at this point). I turn the far-left side burner on high, and the other 3 burners stay off. Close the lid and walk away. Check the temperature every now and then and adjust the lit burner as needed to maintain temperature of between 200 and 210. Smoke becomes noticeable about 30 minutes later. Ribs stay on for 6-8 hours. I'll spray them down with beer 2 or 3 times during the process and slather barbeque sauce on them about 30 minutes before taking them off. No complaints from any of my family or friends yet! I think I'll cook a batch this weekend! 
ETA: Just looked over that site, OP. Thanks! I foresee quite a bit of lost time looking that over! |
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I have to respectfully disagree about boiling ribs. Just try it. Boil them and throw them on the grill and brush on the sauce. They are way tasty and tender. I used to boil ribs. Used that technique for years. Then when I finally got a "real grill" a few years ago, I stopped boiling them, and I am very glad I did. Unboiled, slow-cooked ribs are much, much tastier, have a better "mouth-feel"/consistency, and are just all-around better, in my opinion. |
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I have to respectfully disagree about boiling ribs. Just try it. Boil them and throw them on the grill and brush on the sauce. They are way tasty and tender. Have you tried not boiling them, they might be way tastier and tenderer..... Actually, boiled ribs are more tender than slow-cooked ribs, but not in a good way. The tenderness of boiled ribs is more of a mushiness than a nice, pleasantly-chewy/meaty tenderness you get with slow-cooked ribs. Damn! My mouth is starting to water. Definitely doing ribs this weekend! 
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I have to respectfully disagree about boiling ribs. Just try it. Boil them and throw them on the grill and brush on the sauce. They are way tasty and tender. Have you tried not boiling them, they might be way tastier and tenderer..... Actually, boiled ribs are more tender than slow-cooked ribs, but not in a good way. The tenderness of boiled ribs is more of a mushiness than a nice, pleasantly-chewy/meaty tenderness you get with slow-cooked ribs. Damn! My mouth is starting to water. Definitely doing ribs this weekend!
Oh yeah. Me too! I did read once that the only time you boil is if there is a lot of fat on the ribs. |
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Only ribs I ever parboiled were venison ribs. Still a waste of time, They're marbled with tallow not fat so you may as well eat a candle.
I'm a low and slow guy, around 200 deg and 4 hours. I'm also a rub and a sauce guy. The sauce is baked on near the end to be sticky and not reek of the vinegar. Sauce is home made; ketchup based and heavy on brown sugar and molassas and a fair amount of golden brown mustard. |
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I have to respectfully disagree about boiling ribs. Just try it. Boil them and throw them on the grill and brush on the sauce. They are way tasty and tender. Have you tried not boiling them, they might be way tastier and tenderer..... Actually, boiled ribs are more tender than slow-cooked ribs, but not in a good way. The tenderness of boiled ribs is more of a mushiness than a nice, pleasantly-chewy/meaty tenderness you get with slow-cooked ribs. Damn! My mouth is starting to water. Definitely doing ribs this weekend!
Oh yeah. Me too! I did read once that the only time you boil is if there is a lot of fat on the ribs. To sum it up people boil ribs, bone in chops, etc, to make sure they are cooked thoughout. They are doing this because they are grilling not barbequing them, the temperature is way too hot to cook the middle by the bone and they need less tending to. People do it with chicken a lot. If you are barbequeing you don't need to do this at all, and if you are grilling starting low and finishing hot and keeping them sprayed/mopped you don't need to either. It basically is easier and just more foolproof this way. I prefer all meat to go on raw and just taking the time but understand why people do it their way, I would rather have boiled and grilled than raw against the bone. |
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Guess what I'm doing today? http://cyber-byte.com/photos/smoking1.jpg Putting your wood chips in foil pouches with holes works really well. Just be careful to not set the spent but hot pouch on a plastic picnic table. http://cyber-byte.com/photos/smoking2.jpg I just got done prepping 2 shoulders for smoking tomorrow. Injected some apple juice into each, and slathered the rub on. Will be smoking them over applewood on my Traeger tomorrow for about 6-8 hours. Eastern NC-style sauce: 2 cups cider vinegar 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed) 2 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoon red pepper (crushed) 1 teaspoon cayenne The Rub I used (doubled the recipe) 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons brown sugar (packed) 2 tablespoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons chile powder 2 tablespoons black pepper 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 4 tablespoons paprika I typically get a bunch of cole slaw, dump a pile of pulled pork on a kaiser or other suitable meat-holding roll, some additional mop sauce, and top with cole slaw. Dinner pics tomorrow possibly.... |
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Quoted: Seems like there's a question on it pretty regularly. My technique might not work for you (different equipment, etc.). So, I asked on a BBQ board where a bunch of competitors hang out...guys that win local, regional and national comps (including the Royal). This was a link posted as a response to my question...... Amazing Ribs I've been skimming it and it has a lot of good info...not a bad start for someone looking to learn to cook ribs (and other BBQ). Worth a look. And, before anyone asks....if you are going to boil your ribs....put your Pink Crocs on, put on your Brady Center Hat and I [heart] Obama T-shirt before you start cooking them.... AFARR +1. Good site, thanks. And -10 to anybody making rib soup. |
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I have to respectfully disagree about boiling ribs. Just try it. Boil them and throw them on the grill and brush on the sauce. They are way tasty and tender. Have you tried not boiling them, they might be way tastier and tenderer..... Actually, boiled ribs are more tender than slow-cooked ribs, but not in a good way. The tenderness of boiled ribs is more of a mushiness than a nice, pleasantly-chewy/meaty tenderness you get with slow-cooked ribs. Damn! My mouth is starting to water. Definitely doing ribs this weekend!
Oh yeah. Me too! I did read once that the only time you boil is if there is a lot of fat on the ribs. To sum it up people boil ribs, bone in chops, etc, to make sure they are cooked thoughout. They are doing this because they are grilling not barbequing them, the temperature is way too hot to cook the middle by the bone and they need less tending to. People do it with chicken a lot. If you are barbequeing you don't need to do this at all, and if you are grilling starting low and finishing hot and keeping them sprayed/mopped you don't need to either. It basically is easier and just more foolproof this way. I prefer all meat to go on raw and just taking the time but understand why people do it their way, I would rather have boiled and grilled than raw against the bone. So you're saying that there are people who believe they need to boil chicken before *grilling* it ... ? 
Ugghh ... no thanks. For those folks who think they need to boil chicken in order to be able to simply grill it properly - they're doing it wrong. And yes, I'm aware of the difference between "grilling" and "barbequing". |