Charcoal Grilled Ribs Recipes

BBQ RIBS ON THE CHARCOAL GRILL

Steps:

• Prepare fire in the charcoal grill. Remove the grates, place a pile of charcoal on one side of the grill only. On the other side, place a small foil pan filled with water. Start the fire and return the grates to the grill. Let the grill get to a low temperature (about 275°F.) You may also add pieces of wood to the charcoal for a more smoky flavor.
• While the fire is heating, prepare ribs. Turn ribs over so that the bone side is facing up. Remove the membrane along the back by sliding a dull knife (such as a butter knife) under the membrane along the last bone until you get under the membrane. Hold on tight, and pull it until the whole thing is removed from the rack of ribs.
• Rub ribs all over with spice rub. Once fire is ready, place the ribs on indirect heat - the side of the grill that has the foil pan. Cover and cook about 2 hours, watching to make sure the fire is maintained at a steady low temperature, adding charcoal as needed, and rotating the rack of ribs roughly every 30 minutes so that different edges of the rack are turned toward the hot side.
• After 1 1/2 to 2 hours, remove ribs and wrap in foil. Return to the grill for another 30 minutes or so.
• When ribs are done, you can either remove them from the foil and place back on the grill, meat side down, for a little char, or place them meat side up and brush with barbecue sauce in layers, waiting about 5 minutes between layers. Or simply remove them from the grill to a cutting board, slice, and serve!

BEST-EVER GRILLED RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill (charcoal or gas) to 300˚, with the coals or flames only under one half of the grill.
• For the spice rub: In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne (if using) to combine.
• Place the rack of ribs on a large sheet tray and remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs. Rub the vegetable oil all over both sides of the ribs, then sprinkle evenly with the spice rub.
• Place the ribs on the sheet tray, with the curves of the bones facing down. Add the chicken stock and vinegar to the tray. Wrap the tray tightly with aluminum foil and place on the grill over the side with no coals/flame. Cook over indirect heat until the internal temperature of the ribs reads 180˚ to 190˚, about 80 to 90 minutes.
• Increase the grill temperature to 375˚ and oil the grill grates well. Transfer the ribs directly over the grill grates and brush the tops with the BBQ sauce. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Carefully turn the ribs over and baste the other side with the BBQ sauce. Cover again and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Continue basting and turning the ribs until the BBQ sauce has created a sticky coating and the ribs are charred in spots, 10 to 20 minutes longer.
• Transfer the ribs to a cutting board, cut into pieces and serve.

GRILLED COUNTRY-STYLE PORK RIBS

Steps:

• Rinse the ribs gently under cool running water in the sink and pat dry with paper towels. (See Notes)
• Rub the country-style ribs with a dry rub of your choice, using your hands to press it onto the meat so it will adhere. Let them sit out on the counter while preheating the grill or for best results, cover the ribs with plastic wrap refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
• Light a chimney full of charcoal. When the coals are lit and gray with ash, pour out the coal into the grill and set up the coals for a two-zone fire for indirect heat. Preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Place the ribs over direct heat on a clean and oiled grate. Grill until golden brown with a slight char on them, about 3 to 5 minutes (depending on size), then flip the ribs and char the other side for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
• When both sides of the ribs are charred, move them over to the cooler (indirect) side of the grill. Close the lid and allow the ribs to cook for about 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Add charcoal and adjust the vents of the grill to maintain temperature.
• After 20 minutes, check the temperature of the ribs with an instant-read thermometer. The thickest part of the ribs should read somewhere around 135 to 140 degrees F.
• At this point, move the ribs back over direct heat and baste with warm barbecue sauce to caramelize the sauce. It's important to pay close attention not to let the ribs get to charred and black.
• Double-check the temperature which should be at 145 to 150 degrees F before removing from the grill. Remove them and allow the ribs to rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

BEST BARBECUE RIBS EVER

Steps:

• Combine the brown sugar, chili powder, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, the oregano, cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl and rub the mixture on both sides of the ribs. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. In a roasting pan, combine the broth and vinegar. Add the ribs to the pan. Cover with foil and tightly seal. Bake 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the pan and place them on a platter. Pour the liquid from the pan into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Add the barbecue sauce.
• Preheat an outdoor grill to medium high. Put the ribs on the grill and cook about 5 minutes on each side, until browned and slightly charred. Cut the ribs between the bones and toss them in a large bowl with the sauce. Serve hot.

BARBECUE RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cut spareribs into serving size portions, wrap in double thickness of foil, and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap, and drain drippings. (I usually freeze the drippings to use later in soups.) Place ribs in a large roasting pan.
• In a bowl, mix together brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rum, chile sauce, garlic, mustard, and pepper. Coat ribs with sauce and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat grill for medium heat. Position grate four inches above heat source.
• Brush grill grate with oil. Place ribs on grill, and cook for 30 minutes, basting with marinade.

MEATHEAD'S LAST MEAL RIBS RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. Rinse the ribs in cool water to remove any bone bits from the butchering.
• If the butcher has not removed the membrane from the under side, do it yourself. It gets leathery and hard to chew, it keeps fat in, and it keeps sauce out. To remove it, insert a butter knife under the membrane, then your fingers, work a section loose, grip it with a paper towel, and peel it off. If you can't get the skin off, with a sharp knife, cut slashes through it every inch so some of the fat will render out during the cooking. Click here to see more photos of how to skin 'n' trim ribs and here's a quickie 1 minute video of the technique.
• Trim the excess fat from both sides of the rack of ribs.
• Next it is time to add the salt. The rule of thumb is 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat, but ribs are about 50% bone, 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 unsalted. If you can, give the salt 1 to 2 hours to be absorbed. The process of salting in advance is called dry brining.
• Before adding a BBQ rub, be aware of double salt jeopardy! Rubs and spice blends are a great way to add flavor to meat, but almost all commercial rubs contain salt so be careful not to pre-salt the ribs if you plan on using one of these rubs otherwise they will be unbearably salty. Also note that some ribs sold in grocery stores are labeled as "enhanced" or "flavor enhanced" or "self-basting" or "basted," meaning that they have been injected with a brine at the packing plant so if you are using these you probably want to use a rub that doesn't include salt like our Meathead's Memphis Dust recipe.Some folks insist on putting the barbecue rub on the night before, but it isn't necessary. The molecules in spices are too large to penetrate more than a tiny fraction of an inch. Read this for the science.
• Before applying the rub, just coat the meat with a thin layer of water. The water helps dissolve the spices. A lot of cooks like to use mustard under the rub as a form of glue. Mustard is water, vinegar, and maybe white wine (all mostly water) with mustard powder mixed in. The amount of mustard powder is so small that by the time the water steams off and drips away, the mustard powder remaining is miniscule. My experience is that using a mustard slather makes little or no difference in the final outcome. If you want a mustard flavor, you will do much better by simply sprinkling it on the meat. Once wet, sprinkle enough Meathead's Memphis Dust to coat all surfaces but not so much that the meat doesn't show through. That is about 2 tablespoons per side depending on the size of the slab. Spread the Memphis Dust on the meat and rub it in.
• Fire up. Pre-heat your barbecue smoker or set up your grill for 2-zone (indirect) cooking. Adjust the dampers on your cooker to bring the temperature to about 225°F and try to keep it there throughout the cook. Cooking at 225°F will allow the meat to roast low and slow, liquefying the collagen in connective tissues and melting fats without getting the proteins knotted in a bunch. It's a magic temp that creates silky texture, adds moisture, and keeps the meat tender. If you can't hit 225°F, get as close as you can. Don't go under 200°F and try not to go over 250°F.When monitoring the cooker temperature you can absolutely positively noway nohow rely on bi-metal dial thermometers. If you are not monitoring your cooker with a good digital oven thermometer, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Using a dial thermometer is like trying to send email with a typewriter. Click here to read my buyer's guide to thermometers.Once you have reached the desired temperature, add about 4 ounces of dry wood, placing it as close to the flame as possible.
• Cook. Put the slabs in the cooker in indirect heat, meaty side up, close the lid, go drink a beer, read a book, or make love.
• When the smoke dwindles after 20 to 30 minutes, add another 4 ounces of wood. After that, DO NOT add any more wood. On your first attempt, resist the temptation. Nothing will ruin a meal faster and waste money better than over-smoked meat. You can always add more the next time you cook, but you cannot take it away if you over-smoke.
• If you have more than one slab on, halfway through the cook you will need to move the ribs closest to the fire away from the heat, and the slabs farthest from the flame in closer. Leave the meat side up. There is no need to flip the slabs. You can peek if you must, but don't leave the lid open for long.
• This next step is known as the Texas Crutch. This optional trick involves wrapping the slab in foil with about an ounce of water for up to an hour to speed cooking and tenderize a bit. Almost all barbecue ribs competition cooks use the Texas Crutch to get an edge. But the improvement is really slight and I never bother for backyard cooking. If you crutch too long you can turn the meat to mush and time in foil can soften the bark and remove a lot of rub. I recommend it only for barbecue competitions when the tiniest improvement can mean thousands of dollars. Skip it and you'll still have killer ribs. But if you've seen it on TV and must try it, click here to learn more about The Texas Crutch. The Texas Crutch is it is baked into a popular technique called the 3-2-1 method which I do not recommend. Two hours in foil or butcher paper is far too long and can make the meat mushy. Try the Texas Crutch after you master the basics.
• For cooking time, allow 5 to 7 hours for St. Louis Cut (SLC) Ribs or Spare Ribs, and 3 to 5 hours for Baby Back Ribs. Thicker, meatier slabs take longer. If you use rib holders so they are crammed close to each other, add another hour.
• When it is time to find out whether or not the ribs are ready, we us the bend test (a.k.a. the bounce test). Although we insist that you buy a good digital meat thermometer for most smoking and grilling, this is one of the few meats on which you cannot use a meat thermometer because the bones have an impact on the meat temp and because the meat is so thin. To conduct the bend test, pick up the slab with tongs and bounce it gently. If the surface cracks as in the picture above, it is ready. Here are some other tricks to tell when ribs are ready.
• Once the ribs are done cooking it is time to add the sauce unless you intend to serve them "dry" like they do in Memphis. The key to saucing ribs is to go easy on it so that the meat can shine through. Simply paint both sides of the rack with your favorite home made barbecue sauce or store-bought barbecue sauce and cook for another 15 minutes or so. Don't put the sauce on earlier than that. It has sugar and there is a risk it can burn. Now here's a trick I like: Sizzle on the sauce. Put the ribs with sauce directly over the hottest part of a grill in order to caramelize and crisp the sauce. On a charcoal grill, just move the slab over the coals. On a gas grill, crank up all the burners. On a water smoker, remove the water pan and move the meat close to the coals. On an offset smoker, put a grate over the coals in the firebox and put the meat there. With the lid open so you don't roast the meat from above, sizzle the sauce on one side and then the other. The sauce will actually sizzle and bubble. Stand by your grill and watch because sweet sauce can go from caramelized to carbonized in less than a minute! One coat of a thick sauce should be enough, but if you need two, go ahead, but don't hide all the fabulous flavors under too much sauce. If you think you'll want more sauce, put some in a bowl on the table.
• Serve. Once sauced, slice the rack between the bones. If you've done all this right, you will notice that there is a thin pink layer beneath the surface of the meat. This does not mean it is undercooked! It is the highly prized smoke ring caused by the combustion gases and the smoke. It is a sign of Amazing Ribs. Now plate, serve to your guests, and take a bow when the applause swells from the audience.

BARBECUE RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas 6. Preheat your barbecue.
• Drizzle a little oil over the ribs, season with sea salt and black pepper and rub all over to coat.
• Make the marinade. Deseed and finely chop the chilli, peel and grate the ginger and garlic then place them all in a medium pan along with the apple juice, white wine vinegar, tomato ketchup, mustard, soy sauce and brown sugar.
• Whisk the ingredients together and place the pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
• Put the ribs in a large roasting pan, brush with the marinade and cover with foil.
• Cook in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the meat pulls away from the bone easily. Baste the ribs with the marinade after 30 minutes. After 1 hour of cooking time remove the foil, baste and cook, uncovered, for the final 15 minutes, basting halfway through.
• Once your barbecue is hot, transfer the ribs to it. Cook over a medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer the ribs to a board and cut them up. Serve with handfuls of rocket and watercress, if you like.

GRILLED BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Turn the ribs bone-side up. Slip a paring knife between the thin membrane and the bone to loosen, then pull off the membrane. Mix the brown sugar, paprika, steak seasoning, cumin and oregano in a small bowl; rub all over the ribs. Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Preheat a grill to medium high and prepare for indirect grilling: For a gas grill, turn off one or two of the center burners and reduce the remaining burners to medium low. On a charcoal grill, bank the coals to the sides, leaving the center open; set up a drip pan to avoid flare-ups.
• Oil the grill grates. Place the ribs bone-side down, overlapping slightly if needed, on the cooler part of the grill (indirect heat). Cover and cook, rotating the rib racks once, until the meat is tender and pulls away from the bones, about 2 hours to 2 hours 15 minutes.
• Mix the honey, vinegar and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Transfer the ribs to direct heat. Brush with the honey mixture and continue to grill, uncovered, brushing with the honey mixture once more, until glazed, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into ribs.

CHARCOAL GRILLED RIBS

Steps:

• Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs and trim off any excess fat. Pat the rack of ribs dry with a paper towel.
• Combine the smoked paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, salt, and oregano in a bowl.
• Sprinkle the rub very liberally over both sides of the ribs and the edges.
• Light your charcoal and place in the grill. Leave to heat up until charcoal has started to turn white with ash. Add wood chunks and put the grate back in the rack.
• Fill an aluminum pan with water. Place it on the grill grate, directly above the charcoals. Get the internal temperature of the grill up to 180F/80C.
• Place the ribs on the side of the grill without charcoal underneath it. Close the lid and leave to cook for an hour.
• After one hour, check the water and charcoals. Add a handful of more wood chunks.
• After a further hour, wrap the ribs in a double layer of aluminum foil. Put back on the grill and cook for another hour.
• Remove aluminum foil from ribs and cook for 30-60 more minutes.
• Apply a thin layer of BBQ sauce to each side of the ribs and cook for 5 minutes before adding another layer. Repeat this process 4-5 times in total.
• Remove from grill and place on chopping board. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
• With a long knife and tongs, cut the ribs evenly and uniformly between the bones.
• Serve up and enjoy!

BOILED THEN GRILLED BBQ RIBS

Steps:

• 1. Cut ribs into quarter racks and trim all silver fat off.
• 2. Combine in large pan. Water, salt, pepper, garlic, and sliced onion.
• 3. Bring water to a boil.
• 4. Rinse ribs and add to boiling water.
• 5. Reduce heat to simmer after ribs are in and simmer for 45 minutes approximately.
• 6. After 45 minutes make sure the ribs are ready to be grilled.
• 7. Sauce the ribs generously leaving extra sauce for during grilling.
• 8. Throw ribs on the hot ready grill until they are cooked all the way thru.
• 9. Use foil to cook slow if needed.
• 10. Sauce as the ribs cook until they are done flipping them frequently.
• 11. Enjoy!