I didn't make ribs in the last few days. I've been saving this idea for when I don't have anything else ready, like today. The last time we did have ribs was six weeks ago and I made a Snapchat story out of it. Now that story grows up and becomes a blog post.
Grilling has really turned into something I enjoy. I didn't have much experience before getting married and I didn't have any real preferences on grills either. My wife's family is all about charcoal and I've certainly come around on that. However, for big ticket items (like pork shoulder, brisket, ribs, etc) it's all about our pellet smoker.
As a housewarming gift, for our first house in MN before moving to Maryland, my father-in-law gave us a Green Mountain Grill Daniel Boone wood pellet smoker. You feed pellets into the hopper then set the temperature and it works like a smoky oven. It's super easy to use and delivers spectacular results, but does require yearly cleaning and other maintenance.
For the how-to, amazingribs.com is an absolutely incredible source for all things grilling. The guy behind the site, "Meathead" talks you through methods and the science of it all, provides recipes for rubs, sauces and more, and they've reviewed hundreds of different grills if you're in the market. His biggest single thing are the Famous Last Meal Ribs. Honestly, there's a bit too much info there, so I'm simplifying it here. Definitely use his Memphis Dust for the rub if you don't have something else to use up. At this point, I've done ribs enough that I'm confident every time I do it, and even prefer mine to just about any restaurant. I like them a little crispy, so take that into account.
Alright, let's get started.
Some notes:
- Here I did baby-back ribs (insert Chili's song), which are my preference. They're a slightly smaller rack that cooks faster while remaining nicely meaty. If you do spare or St. Louis ribs (spare ribs with the tips trimmed off), expect it to take at least another hour or two.
- Pulling off the membrane on the back does make a difference. You don't want to eat it.
- The estimated time for a cook is just a guess as other factors can speed up or slow down the process (outside temp, thickness of the ribs etc). The only real skill thing that goes into cooking ribs on a controlled temperature grill is knowing when they'll be done. For that I use Meathead's 'bend test.' Here I checked after 3.5 hours by picking up the rack with tongs. When you see the skin break and it bounces right, you're almost there.
- Apply the sauce for the home stretch so it thickens and crisps. It's much better than adding immediately before eating.
- If you're doing several racks that are packed close together, definitely allow for more time. I've learned this the hard way. Again the bend test is important.
- When you slice into the ribs at the end, you should see plenty of red around the outside. This is the 'smoke ring' and is the totally delicious reason to do this on a smoker type grill.
Anyway, that's how I do it. They're probably the best thing I make. Now I want them again.
Yum...I want them again, too.