BBQ Ribs

My husband, like most men, is a big fan of BBQ ribs. They can be pretty expensive at some restaurant. But as shown in my previous post, making them at home doesn't cost much at all.


Before we start, I just want to give you a little background about ribs. You have probably seen the two types of ribs on rack out there, Spareribs and baby back ribs. These terms simply refer to different portions of the same rib cage. Baby backs are the ribs at the very top of the hog's back. These ribs are small and often pricey. Calling them "baby" has nothing to do with the age of the hog but rather their size and weight.

Spareribs are the lower section of the rib cage near the hog's belly. There are more muscles in this area, making the meat tougher and fattier than baby back. Because spareribs come from the same area as bacon, they are very flavorful. I actually prefer spareribs for their flavor and cost over baby backs.

Now, let's get started. These techniques can be used on both spareribs and baby backs. Hard core meat smokers will look down on me for this, I pre-roast my ribs in the oven! I haven't gotten into smoking meat yet. It seems like a pretty expensive and time consuming hobby. But for now, pre-roasting will do just fine. Pre cooking your ribs in the oven gives your ribs the tenderness, while charring it on the grill afterward gives it the crunch around the edge, which are the characteristics of quality ribs.

First step, rubbing your ribs (recipe from Cuisine at Home). Combine (This will be enough for two racks of ribs):
2 Tbsp each of salt, black pepper, brown sugar, and chili powder
1 Tbsp each paprika, dried oregano, and thyme leaves

Generously rub both sides with the rub, place your ribs on a baking sheet and cover them tightly with aluminum foil. Than roast them for 2 hours in a 300 F preheated oven. After 2 hours, your ribs should be ready for the grill. You can tell by the way the meat shrinks back to expose 1/2-1" rib bones around the edge.

While waiting on your ribs to roast, you can start on your BBQ sauce. By no mean, you can use any store bought sauce out there. But if you are up for the challenge, making your own sauce will let you be in control in choosing flavors that fit your appetite. Refer to my chicken wings post for a few ideas. Here is another flavorful recipe to get you started. This tangy BBQ sauce uses bock beer, which gives it a non-bitter, malty flavor. It can also be use for dipping sauce.

Bock Barbecue Sauce
Sweat in 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat until onion is soft:
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
2 tsp. chipotle in abodo, minced

Add:
1 bottle Bock beer
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. prepared yellow mustard
1 tsp. ground celery seed

Increase heat to high, bring to a boil and reduce to 1.5 cup. Then stir in
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste.

You can either grill your ribs over direct heat until charred, 15 minutes, or you can smoke them over indirect heat. Smoking them takes about an hour for the ribs to develop a nice charred layer on the outside and induced with a smoky flavor.

To prepare for smoking your ribs, soak a bag of wood chips in water according to directions on the package. You should be able to get a varieties of wood chips in any grocery store down the charcoal aisle.

To smoke your ribs, preheat half of your grill to high and leave the other half unlit. The temperature of your grill should be maintained between 300-400 F. Place the soaked chips in a disposable aluminum pan with small holes poked in the bottom for the smoke to get through. Then place the aluminum pan on the lit portion of the grill and the ribs on the unlit portion of the grill. Slather your ribs with the bock BBQ sauce every 15 minutes. This helps keep them moist.

After an hour of smoking, your ribs should be done, tender in the middle with a nice crunchy layer on the outside. These ribs have a lot of flavors and texture. Let the ribs rest 10 minutes, then slice them into individual ribs by holding the rack vertically and slicing down between the bones. I thoroughly enjoy making these ribs. Quite a bit of work, but the result will impress all your rib-loving guests.