Award Winning Ribs Recipes

AWARD WINNING COMPETITION RIBS RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. Remove the membrane from the slabs of ribs (read more on removing the membrane here).
• Season the ribs with Kosher salt. If you can, give the salt 1 to 2 hours to be absorbed. The process of salting in advance is called dry brining. The rule of thumb is 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat, but ribs consist of only about 50% meat, so use about 1/4 teaspoon per pound. You can simply eyeball it by sprinkling on the same amount of salt you would sprinkle on the ribs if they were served to you unseasoned.
• Fire up. Prepare a smoker for indirect cooking. Alternatively, you can set up a charcoal grill for 2-zone cooking by placing a chimney full of lit charcoal briquets on one side of the grill's charcoal grate in order to create direct and indirect cooking zones. Adjust the smoker or grill vents to bring the temperature to about 225°F (107.2°C) and add two to three chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal for flavor. On a gas grill, adjust the temperature knobs so that one half of the grill is off and the other half is heated enough to maintain a temperature of approximately 225°F (107.2°C) on the indirect side.
• Once the smoker or grill is ready, brush both sides of ribs with mayonnaise and season with Meathead's Memphis Dust dry rub.
• Cook. Place the slabs of ribs meat side up on the main cooking grate as far away from the heat source as possible. Cover the smoker or grill. Allow the ribs to smoke until the meat just begins to shrink back from the ends of the bones, about 3 1/2 hours.
• Lay out two double layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil approximately eight inches longer than the ribs. Cut the stick of butter into 1/2 tablespoon pieces and top each double layer of foil with two tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon of honey drizzled over the butter, and two tablespoons brown sugar sprinkled over the top. Lay the ribs meat side down on the butter, honey and brown sugar mixture. Place another two tablespoons margarine, a tablespoon of honey, and two tablespoons brown sugar evenly on top of the bone side of each slab of ribs. Fold up the sides of the foil to create a boat, pour in the apple juice, and loosely seal the foil.
• Place the foiled ribs sealed side up on the smoker or grill and cook until the ribs shrink back from the ends of the bones by 1/4 to 1/2 inch (6.4 to 12.7 mm), about 1 hour.
• Remove the ribs from the smoker or grill and cautiously open the foil packet to allow the steam to escape. Remove the ribs from the foil and set them back on the smoker or grill meat side up. Cover the smoker or grill and allow the ribs to cook until tender but not falling off the bone, about 20 minutes. We prefer to use the "bend test." Use tongs to pick up one end of the slab of ribs, then bend them slightly. If they are ready, the slab with bow until the meat starts to crack on the surface.
• When they are ready, brush sauce on both sides of the ribs and turn them meat side up on the smoker or grill. Cover the smoker or grill and cook until the sauce sets and becomes tacky, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Serve. Remove the ribs from the smoker or grill, and slice. For competition, set 4 to 5 ribs side-by-side in the turn in box and top with another 4 to 5 ribs.

PRIZE WINNING BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat a gas grill for high heat, or arrange charcoal briquettes on one side of the barbeque. Lightly oil the grate.
• In a small jar, combine cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Close the lid, and shake to mix.
• Trim the membrane sheath from the back of each rack. Run a small, sharp knife between the membrane and each rib, and snip off the membrane as much as possible. Sprinkle as much of the rub onto both sides of the ribs as desired. To prevent the ribs from becoming too dark and spicy, do not thoroughly rub the spices into the ribs. Store the unused portion of the spice mix for future use.
• Place aluminum foil on lower rack to capture drippings and prevent flare-ups. Lay the ribs on the top rack of the grill (away from the coals, if you're using briquettes). Reduce gas heat to low, close lid, and leave undisturbed for 1 hour. Do not lift the lid at all.
• Brush ribs with barbecue sauce, and grill an additional 5 minutes. Serve ribs as whole rack, or cut between each rib bone and pile individually on a platter.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• For the basic BBQ rub: Using a coffee grinder, grind the turbinado sugar with a few "pulses" until it is lightly powdered. Combine with the granulated sugar, salt, onion powder, granulated garlic, cayenne, black pepper, mustard, chili powder, cumin and paprika in a bowl and hand stir until well incorporated. Store in an airtight container.
• For the BBQ mother sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low if the onion is cooking too fast--you don't want it caramelized or browned. As the onion is getting close, add the garlic and cook until lightly golden, about 2 minutes longer. Add the ketchup, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, dry mustard, cayenne and black pepper and stir well. Slowly add up to 1/2 cup water until the sauce reaches the consistency you like. A slightly thick consistency is best. Add about 3 tablespoons of the basic BBQ rub, stir well and taste. The sauce should have a good, well-rounded flavor. Add more of the basic BBQ rub in 1-tablespoon increments until your desired flavor is achieved, up to about 1/2 cup total. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
• For the ribs: Rinse the ribs and remove the membrane from the back. Trim any excess fat from the tops of the slabs. Trim 1 bone from the large end of the ribs and 2 bones from the small end. This will give you a much more consistent slab for cooking.
• Starting on the backs, sprinkle the slabs of ribs with approximately 1/2 tablespoon of the basic BBQ rub each, then add 1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard each and massage into the meat. Flip the ribs over and repeat. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. For a contest, I marinate ribs like this for 12 to 16 hours.
• Prepare a smoker to run at 225 degrees F with around 4 chunks of apple wood and 4 chunks of cherry wood so that the wood will smolder throughout the cooking. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator, unwrap and repeat the basic BBQ rub and mustard procedure, massaging them in. Don't get it too thick or paste-like, as this will give you a dark appearance when cooked. Place the ribs in the smoker meat-side up and cook for 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the smoker and increase the temperature to 250 degrees F. Apply the basic BBQ rub and mustard to both sides of the ribs as before. On the top sides, slather approximately 1 tablespoon of honey over the surface of each slab, then sprinkle heavily with the turbinado sugar. Lay each slab of ribs meat-side up on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and fold up the edges. Pour approximately 1 to 2 ounces of the grape juice into the bottom of each foil package, then finish wrapping the ribs but don't crimp the edges--you want steam to be able to escape.
• Return the ribs to the cooker for 2 hours, then test for tenderness. (I cook ribs in this stage until they look overdone and too tender. Don't worry, they'll tighten up. If they still have too much texture, leave them in for 20 to 30 more minutes.) Remove the ribs from the cooker, open the foil and drain off the liquid. Using the foil as a tool, "roll" the ribs over so the bone side is up, glaze with the BBQ mother sauce, then roll them back over and glaze the tops. Using long tongs, carefully remove the ribs from the foil and place them back in the smoker for 15 minutes. This will let the glaze cook onto the ribs and let the ribs tighten back up. Remove from the cooker and allow to rest for 5 minutes, apply a very thin coat of sauce to "glisten" the ribs, then lightly sprinkle with chipotle powder before serving.

L AND L COOKING CREW'S AWARD WINNING RIBS

Steps:

• Dry Rub:
• Combine finely ground spices including paprika, seasoning salt, red pepper, black pepper, plain salt, garlic powder, dry mustard, chili powder and oregano. Mix the dry ingredients together in a shaker and adjust amounts to suit individual taste.
• Ribs:
• Apply a heavy coat of rub to each slab of ribs. Heat the charcoal in a smoker to 220 degrees F. Put the ribs in the smoker and cook for 6 hours until meat is tender.
• When the ribs are cooked thoroughly, apply a coat of tomato based barbeque sauce with a soft brush and serve.

AWARD WINNING BBQ PORK RIBS

Steps:

• Season Ribs with Salt, Pepper, Granulated Garlic.
• Place ribs in a smoker, grill or a cook bone side down for 1 hour @ 300 degrees.
• Place all sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• After ribs have cooked for 1 hour baste with sauce.
• Repeat basting every 15 minutes.
• Cook for 3-4 hour or until done and tender.
• Enjoy.

CONTEST-WINNING BRAISED SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, paprika and mustard. Add ribs in batches and turn to coat. In a large skillet, brown ribs in oil; drain., Place onions in a 5-qt. slow cooker; add ribs. Top with beer and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until meat is tender. , Remove ribs and onions to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with ribs.

AWARD WINNING RIB RUB RIBS

Steps:

• 24 hours in advance of smoking: Place Vinegar in a new clean squirt bottle.
• Peel membrane off the inside of the ribs and trim off any large thick pieces of fat.
• Mix together all the dry ingredients well.
• Lightly spray mist the ribs with vinegar to moisten.
• Evenly and generously coat all surfaces of the meat with the rub, massaging the ribs. (as Emeril would say, it makes them happy).
• Cover the ribs and allow to marinate for about 24 hours.
• Gas Grill Cooking Directions:
• Soak Hickory wood chips in water overnight. Place in a large disposable aluminum pan. (allow some of the water in the pan but not so that they're swimming) Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Poke some holes in the foil.
• Place the pan under the grill racks directly on top of the shield above the gas burner. Set heat to lowest setting and replace grill racks.
• Smoke ribs at 200 degrees F. about 3-1/2 hours.
• DO NOT LET THE TEMPERATURE GO ABOVE 200D DEGREES. It's going to smoke like crazy, if you've never smoked before, don't panic. Turn the ribs once or twice during cooking, but open the lid as little as possible (except to crack open a bit to lower temp if needed).
• if you like, in the last few minutes of cooking you can slather on some of your favorite barbecue sauce.