Simple BBQ Ribs Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you BBQ ribs for beginners? ›

Place ribs directly on clean grill grate and grill for 2 hours, rotating every 45 minutes or so to ensure even cooking. After two hours, remove ribs from the grill and wrap tightly in foil. Add ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar to each rib pack. Return to grill for another 2 hours, rotating every 30-45 minutes.

The best, most fool-proof way to make sure that your ribs are fall off the bone tender is to bake them, covered, at a low temperature in your oven. We bake our ribs in a 275°F oven for two to three hours. It is this simple method that guarantees tender ribs!

Shoot for around 2 hours at 350 degrees if the ribs are uncovered, as in our Barbecued Pork Ribs. If wrapped in foil, the ribs can go for up to 3 hours at 300°F degrees, or crank the oven up to 400 degrees for a briefer baking time—1.5 to 2 hours.

Since the ribs are fatty, many cooks choose to parboil spareribs for a short time or boil for an extended period of time to tenderize the rib meat. This renders some of the surface fat and makes it easier to remove the inner skin from the ribs before you grill them, too.

Baby back ribs are tender and lean, and are the most popular of all pork ribs. These are usually the types of ribs you'll find at family BBQ joints. They're a good first rib to try when smoking pork ribs for the first time.

Select a lean rib and cut off the visible fat. We like our ribs lean, tender, and beautiful. Cook them low and slow. Two pounds or less will take 4 1/2 hours at 225 degrees F.

They key to tender and juicy ribs is a slow cook process at low temperatures. The best way to maximize tenderness and juiciness is to braise your ribs, which means cook them in a liquid.

Because ovens have controlled temperature you are less likely to overcook or under cook your ribs. You can also put the ribs in the oven and leave them as the heat will be even the entire time that they are inside. Ovens also have the added benefit of cooking faster than BBQ.

For ribs with incomparably smoky flavor, you have to cook them low and slow on the grill, adding more charcoal and wood chips every so often to keep the temperature steady. Ribs cooked this way need some pampering (you would too, if you were spending hours in a sauna).

This method entails smoking them for the first 2 hours directly on the smoker rack. After 2 hours, wrap the ribs in aluminum foil and baste on BBQ sauce and let them smoke for 2 more hours. For the last hour of smoking, remove them from the aluminum foil and then apply BBQ sauce directly to the ribs.

What is the 3-2-1 rule for ribs? ›

The 3-2-1 Method refers to the technique used to cook ribs low and slow so that they develop flavour without drying out. First, the ribs are smoked at a low temperature for 3 hours. They're then wrapped in foil and steamed for 2 hours. Finally, they're brushed with a sauce or glaze and grilled for 1 more hour.

Cook low and slow: If you have the time, it's best to cook low and slow at 275 or 300°F for the most tender ribs. However, you can still get very good results at 350°F and other temperatures.

Cooking any kind of meat for too long will usually leave it dry, tough, and utterly unappealing. In all honesty, cooking BBQ ribs to perfection is something of an artform. It's not something the home chef does very often, and overcooking the ribs is a common way to disappoint yourself when you sit down to eat.

You will want to add barbecue sauce to your ribs during the final 20-30 minutes of cooking. While brushing on sauce just remember, don't drown your ribs. If you are like me and love more sauce, there is no reason you can't serve even more on the side.

As a fatty cut, ribs take well to spice rubs, but we love our ribs with some sticky barbecue sauce too. Just apply the rub as you normally would before cooking, and then brush the glaze on in the last 5 minutes on the grill to achieve the perfect crusty, gooey ribs.

PREPPING RIBS

Turn the ribs over to remove the membrane covering the rib bones. It's important to remove this membrane so your rub can get into the meat. Start by inserting the dull butter knife on top of a rib bone on the small end of the rack; push the knife upwards to loosen the membrane.

- Cook the ribs for about 2.5 to 3.5 hours for spare ribs or 3 to 4 hours for baby back ribs. - You can wrap them in foil during the last part of cooking to make them more tender.