Baby back ribs first timer

[Mylegsbig]

Guys i was thinking cook these things in the oven @ 300 for around 2 hours then finish em for around 30 minutes over indirect heat over the grill.

it is one slab of ribs around 2 1/4 lbs. pork baby back ribs.

I was just gonna dry rub em roast em for 2 hours then throw em on the pit and then start basting them and flipping them cookin over indirect heat for 30 mins.

as a first timer, is this relatively fool proof?

any other ideas to make it as easy as possible first time?

[Aurora]

Here's a site that I like for BBQ assistance:

Trade Secrets - ASK THE EXPERTS

I followed their suggestion of steaming the ribs and then grilling.

I placed the ribs in a grill pan on a grilling rack and put a combination of
water, soy sauce, and other spices in the liquid. I steamed them on the
stovetop but I guess you could also steam them in the oven.

I rubbed them after steaming and before grilling.

They came out perfect.

[keltin]

Yeah, that should work nicely. Just make sure the ribs are covered in the oven (wrapped in foil or in a covered roaster). It’s also nice to add a little liquid (1/4 to 1/2 cup should be fine)....apple juice is good......or a mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar.

You can also choose to finish the ribs with direct heat. For that, build a low fire. You’ll use half as much charcoal as usual, and wait for them to completely ash over after you spread them. Start the ribs skin side down for 5 – 10 minutes, then turn them bone side down and leave 'em that way for the rest of the time while you baste the top. Pretty easy.

Personally, I find Baby Backs to be the Filet Mignon of ribs. As such, I like to grill these directly with a low fire for 45 minutes to 1 hour. I find that smoking baby backs like you do spare ribs leads to a meat that is too soft in my opinion. I like baby backs with a little texture, but still “pull apart” tender and juicy. That is, you can easily pull the bones apart by hand (no need for a knife) but the meat is still firm enough to hold onto the bone and offer just the right amount of resistance when you bite into it. That’s a perfect rib for me.

However, if you do these for 2 hours in the oven and then finish on the grill, they should be excellent ribs. Go for it!

[Barb L.]

I say go for it, I have done them that way a lot, but I would put them directly on the grill till browned nicely.

[Mylegsbig]

Okay guys - I have changed it up a little. I put my oven on "Convect" and i'm convecting them @ 250 degrees for 3 hours.

Excellent replies guys.

I was beating myself up trying to remove the membrane until i realized that the membrane had already been removed, lol. I saw the video how the guy just pulled it off and we were like Ummmm this is impossible.

But i saw he said in some cryo-packed ribs it had already been removed.

They have already been in the oven, uncovered, for awhile, convecting @ 250 degrees.

Next time i will cover them and put some liquid in. This will steam them, no?

So you say they should be steamed, then grilled? I used a dry rub only, no marinade and no basting. I will baste once they hit the grill.

Keltin - When you say skin side down, you mean i put them so the concave side is down on the grill? And then flip and baste the concave side? I was thinking i should baste the meatier side?

Can you clarify for me if you have a sec?

Cheers.

[Mylegsbig]

if i dont cover these up quick...will they be ruined?

[keltin]

Originally Posted by Mylegsbig

Okay guys - I have changed it up a little. I put my oven on "Convect" and i'm convecting them @ 250 degrees for 3 hours.

Excellent replies guys.

I was beating myself up trying to remove the membrane until i realized that the membrane had already been removed, lol. I saw the video how the guy just pulled it off and we were like Ummmm this is impossible.

But i saw he said in some cryo-packed ribs it had already been removed.

They have already been in the oven, uncovered, for awhile, convecting @ 250 degrees.

Next time i will cover them and put some liquid in. This will steam them, no?

So you say they should be steamed, then grilled? I used a dry rub only, no marinade and no basting. I will baste once they hit the grill.

Keltin - When you say skin side down, you mean i put them so the concave side is down on the grill? And then flip and baste the concave side? I was thinking i should baste the meatier side?

Can you clarify for me if you have a sec?

Cheers.

It’s fine to roast them in the oven with no liquid. I like to do it just to ensure they’ll be moist especially if I’m gonna’ finish them on the grill.

I’d cover them though. They don’t necessarily steam when covered with liquid, but the moisture does kind of baste the meat and keep it moist.

Basically, when you consider the laws of flow such as osmosis, fluids move from a higher concentration to a lower concentration (this is true of heat, electricity, etc). If there is fluid in the meat, and it is cooked in a dry environment, then the fluid is more likely to move outward away from the meat to the less dry air. By keeping the cooking environment moist, you try to equalize the environment so that the difference in potential isn’t enough for excess liquid to flow out of the meat.

By skin side down, I mean meat side down. Baby backs (and all ribs for that matter) have a clear meaty side and a boney side. The bone side is the membrane side. So start meat side down and finish meat side up. This way, the bones diffuse the heat over time and you can easily baste meat that is facing up. This is another reason I never bother removing the membrane. There is almost nothing edible on that side, and I like to grill these, so that side spends most of the time down facing the fire.

[Mylegsbig]

gotcha...ill cover em up.

How about i convect/bake them @ 250 degrees for 2 hours

then finish over indirect heat on the grill, for an additional 45 minutes?

It's a meaty 2 1/4 lb slab of baby backs.

[keltin]

In my opinion, that should be fine. That gives a total cook time of 2 hours and 45 minutes at 250+. I find that to be plenty of time for a good baby back.

Some people like their ribs “falling off the bone”. I’ve made them this way, literally. You could grab the bone, shake it, and the meat falls into your plate. No kidding.

I call that pulled pork and not a rib. IMHO, the meat should still hold onto the bone for it to be a rib….but it should also be tender and juicy. 2 hours in the oven and 45 on the grill with indirect heat, smoke, and a baste/sauce, should do a fine rib! For baby backs that is. Spare ribs are a bit tougher and require 4 hours total time.

Actually, you might want to cut grill time to 30 minutes. Stick a tootpick in between two thick ribs and that will tell you how tender it is. Gauge your grill time on that.

[Mylegsbig]

good idea with the toothpick.

This is my first time so im not expecting perfect ribs.

As with everything, practice makes perfect.

With something as unpredictable as a charcoal fire i can never hope for perfect, but im sure within a few tries i will be able to make some excellent ribs.

[Mylegsbig]

okay this is bizarre... my fire will not go out. I cant get to my coals and i lit the fire like nearly an hour ago.

It is still flaming. what if it burns up all my coals before the fire even goes out?

should i close the lid to suffocate the flame?

[keltin]

Sounds like it’s burning fat and oil build up from a previous grilling session. It should burn down within 5 minutes. That should be fine.

[Aurora]

When you cover a dish in a convection oven you actually defeat the purpose of using the convection feature. A convection oven is meant to circulate around the dish being cooked and keep the heat up against the food. A cover of any kind will not allow this convection heated air to reach the food.

In my experience you don't gain alot by using the convection oven for covered dishes.

[keltin]

Originally Posted by Aurora

When you cover a dish in a convection oven you actually defeat the purpose of using the convection feature. A convection oven is meant to circulate around the dish being cooked and keep the heat up against the food. A cover of any kind will not allow this convection heated air to reach the food.

In my experience you don't gain alot by using the convection oven for covered dishes.

Agreed. Which is why I'd suggest never trying pre-baking ribs in a convection oven. It's a waste. BUT, convection is known for a solid temp differential throughout the entire oven.

[Mylegsbig]

When i started off cooking the ribs they weren't covered.

That is why i used the convection feature.

btw - Ribs were a resounding success. I cooked @ 250 for 2 hours then finished on the grill for 30 minutes.

I got a picture coming up, have to recharge my camera.

They came out like you said Keltin - They are not falling off the bone, but they are very tender...with a little crisp skin on top. Delicious.

Honestly much better than i expected seeing its the first time ive cooked ribs.

If i were to have gone into it blind it would have been a disaster

this site is a godsend

cheers, pic coming up

[Mylegsbig]

pic

next time i'm gonna use that steaming/braising type method that Keltin described.

[keltin]

Originally Posted by Mylegsbig

pic

next time i'm gonna use that steaming/braising type method that Keltin described.

Good God man..........that looks wonderful!

Nice job! Over the past few posts, it seems you're getting the hang of this!!!????? Nice....very nice!

[Mylegsbig]

Yes sir i try very hard. Thank you.

Let's say next time i want the ribs to be a bit more tender.

What would make them turn out that way? The steam method? Less time? More time?

Lower temp, more time in oven, higher temp, less time in oven?

So many variables.....

Cheers

[Aurora]

You are going to be opening your own BBQ Joint soon! They look fabuluous.

[keltin]

Technically…..longer time in the oven makes them (ribs) more tender. You can do the same with good charcoal and air flow control. But easiest is oven for long time (225 for 3-4 hours) and finished on grill with sauce. Purists will cuss and say nay, but I’ve done it both ways and it does work! If you want crazy tender, drop the temp to 225 for 3.5 hours then grill.