BBQ Ribs

[SizzlininIN]

I've tried and tried and I just don't have any luck making these. Either their too tough or they are way too tender and the meat falls off the bone and its like eating pulled BBQ.

How do you fix yours. I've tried grilling, parboiling then finishing in the oven and even the slow cooker but still can't master it.

 

[Michelemarie]

I usually cook my ribs in a shallow pan of water covered in foil at 275 for about 2 hours. I finish them on the grill for - both sides - where I add the sauce. I warm up KC Masterpiece (my preference) and mix in brown sugar).

Sometimes they do get so tender they fall apart - especially if I use country ribs. Its all good though!

 

[SizzlininIN]

DH loves his ribs and its one thing he looks for on menus when we go out. He likes the flavor of the Sweet Baby Rays Chicken & Ribs Sauce. Thanks for the help. I'd like to surprise him for his upcoming birthday and have a big platter waiting for him when he comes home from work.

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

Smoke over indirect heat at 250 degrees for 4 hours. PERFECT

 

[SizzlininIN]

Never smoked before Jimmy.

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

Being from Memphis, the BBQ capital (just ask Michael in Fort Worth. LOL) i have alway loved smoked pork ribs and BBQ. If you don't have a smoker, no problem, use a regular charcoal grill and build a small fire (250 degrees)on the sides and place the meat in the middle with a drip pan to catch the fat. Use a chimney starter to get coals hot to add when needed. add hickory wood chips that have been soaked in water for the smoke. don't lift the lid as you will lose your valuable heat and smoke. I gererally cook ribs for 4 hours. with a dry rub seasoning and they can't be beat. I cook in small BBQ contests around the area and have faired quite well

 

[SizzlininIN]

I saw a cook on foodnetwork use a stovetop smoker.........that was really interesting.

I'm amazed that the coals on a grill would stay at 250 degrees for 4 hours.

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

They don't thats why you must have others started in a chimney starter so when the heat starts dissapating, you have new hot coals ready to be added

 

[SizzlininIN]

But how the heck am I suppose to add more coals when you told me not to lift the lid???

Maybe I'd be better off with that stovetop smoker....... Or better yet take his rump down to his favorite resturant and buy him a platter of ribs. Or I could go buy them and bring them home......start the grill and put them on for like a minute to make it look like I fixed them and then put them on the platter.

 

[SizzlininIN]

I'm not a grill master unfort. so some of the techniques mystify me and intimidate me too....so I think I may try a combination of your ideas actually.
I'll do like Michelemarie said about boiling them first then prepare the grill like Chef Jimmy with the coals on the side, a drip pan and the hickory chips... so that I get that smoky flavor.

Thanks for the tips Michelemarie and Chef Jimmy

 

[Michelemarie]

You are welcome Sizzlin - but in the low degree oven - the ribs don't really boil, more steam. Fill the pan with about 1-1/2" water, put ribs in and cover!

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

Boiling is good especially for a time saver and on a small grill Thats how I did them when i first started, I used some vinegar or citrus in the liquid for added tenderness, but now I enjoy sitting outside all day drinking beer and smoking pork (I will do a shoulder anywhere from 10-24 hours depending on the size) most people hate it, I love it! Boil the ribs and smoke on the grill for about 1 hour, the temp can be hotter if you are doing it this way, it needs top be low when you do it for a very long period of time.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Thanks Again!

 

[KAYLINDA]

Sizzlinin...we don't have a smoker so we have to do ours in the oven. We cook them overnight @ 250. The next day they will fall apart...if you try to pick them up...so don't. Let them cool enough to lift them from the pan...wrap and refrigerate them overnight. (Or I guess you could just drain them and leave them in the same pan.).Then they will hold their shape. You can then slice them...add the sauce....and rewarm.
We cook two cases a week this way. They microwave very nicely for reheating. You could come here for dinner if you want!

 

[SizzlininIN]

Thanks for the idea Kay

 

[jminion]

Here is the techniques I teach in competition BBQ'n classes:

This technique can be used for pork spares or Baby Backs cooking time will very based on which ribs you cook.

I will start with spares. They will be trimmed St Louis style. Two hours before they are to go on the pit I will rub front and back.

The pit temps I use are 250 to 275 with your choice of wood for smoke.
The first portion of the cook will last aprox 3 hours, during this part of the cook I am looking for color, it is that nice carmel color and you will see the meat to just start to pull back on the bone. Once the right color is achieved I will move into the second part of the cook.

In this stage I take H/D foil spread some honey, hit with a little cayenne pepper and a little hot pepper sauce. I place the ribs face down in the mixture and repeat the the process on the back side. Add some fruit juice (apple or pineapple is a good choice), seal the foil and place back on the pit. This part of the cook will last 45 min to an hour on average. What I look for is more pul back of the maet on the bone and the ribs become tender. You can use toothpick, sliding into the met between the bones, if it feels like it is going into warm butter they are ready to remove.

At this point remove the ribs from the foil placing them back on the cooker and apply glaze. The glaze should be set in 15 to 30 min based on pit temp.

This just one technique there are others, this is more of a process than a recipe. You can use any good pork rub and a sauce that will balance out the flavor print
I look for a flavor print that when eaten you will first get the sweetness of the sauce, then the tang also from the sauce with spice and a little heat come through at the end from the rub. I look for a rub that is on the spicy side (heat wise) and use a suace that I sweeten up with honey.
Jim

 

[ross]

if you like spicy-smokey flavor add a little chipoltle hot sauce or canned chipoltle chiles in adobo,it has a nice smoky flavor and heat. add to favorite bbq sauce.be careful some are hotter than others.El Yucateco,and Buffalo brands are good.

 

[Citizen Bob]

I've tried and tried and I just don't have any luck making these. Either their too tough or they are way too tender and the meat falls off the bone and its like eating pulled BBQ.

If you are going to bake ribs in the oven, set the temp for 325F - use a thermometer to make sure. Cook in a rib rack for 3 hours. No sauce while cooking.

How do you fix yours. I've tried grilling, parboiling then finishing in the oven and even the slow cooker but still can't master it.

The recipe I use is from Robb Walsh's masterpiece Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections from the Pit Bosses By Robb Walsh Publisher: Chronicle Books (June 2002) Paperback: 256 pages ISBN: 0811829618. In it there is a rib recipe called New Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church Ribs.
In brief you smoke the ribs at 300F for about 2 hours until the meat starts retreating from the end of the bones. Then you sauce it lightly (not too much or you will end up with mushy ribs), and wrap tightly in heavy duty aluminum foil. Place in a conventional oven at 225F (use a thermometer to get this right). Cook for 1-2 hours. The sauce tenderizes the meat.
I use a Kansas City BBQ Sauce
1 c. Heinz ketchup
3/8 c. white vinegar (9%)
1/3 c. dark molasses
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. curry powder
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. hot pepper sauce
1/4 t. allspice
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. mace
1/4 t. pepper
The white vinegar is extra strength, which is important for this recipe. If you can't find extra strength white vinegar, then add more regular strength. It's worth the effort to get the extra strength to get the tangy taste.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Thanks everyone!

 

[jbib]

I follow the Barbecue Technique at melindalee.com. Prepare in the oven and finish on the grill. Perfect. I grew up in Austin, Texas and this tastes like home to me.