How to Cook Barbeque Ribs

For many people barbequing ribs can be difficult because they need to be slow cooked to bring out the flavor and taste. Slow cooking ribs on a grill is an art form that can be hard to duplicate if you don't have the patience or know how to do it right.

Nothing says barbeque quite like a rack of ribs covered in finger licking good barbeque sauce. If prepared correctly there is nothing better than bbq ribs.

Barbeque ribs

Different types of ribs you can barbeque.

Pork Baby Back Ribs - Probably the most well known and easiest to cook. They are tender and can be cooked quickly on the grill. Pork baby back ribs are also sometimes called loin ribs or simply back ribs. They have meat between the bones and are shorter but meatier than spareribs. The rack is shorter at one end, due to the natural tapering of a pig's rib cage. The shortest bones are typically only about 3" (7.6 cm) and the longest is usually about 6" (15.2 cm). Whilst a pig has 15 ribs, a rack of baby back ribs contains a minimum of 8 ribs but can include up to 15 ribs depending on how it has been prepared by the butcher.

Pork Spare Ribs - These are bigger than baby back ribs and take quite a bit longer to cook. Pork spare ribs are taken from the belly side of the rib cage, below the section of back ribs and above the sternum (breast bone). Spareribs contain more bone than meat and also quite a bit of fat which can make the ribs more tender than back ribs.  Learn the best methods of Preparing Barbeque Pork Ribs

Beef Short Ribs - Are larger and usually more tender and meatier than pork spare ribs. A full slab of short ribs is typically about 10 inches square, ranges from 3 to 5 inches thick, and contains three or four ribs. The ribs can be separated and cut into short lengths (about 2 inches long), called an "English cut", "flanken cut" across the bones (about 1/2 inch thick), or cut into boneless steaks. Beef short ribs may be long cooked or rapidly seared or grilled, as in Korean cuisine, in which short ribs (called Galbi), are marinated and grilled over charcoal. Other popular preparations for beef short ribs are barbecue and braising. To bring out the tenderness they really should be cooked slowly.

Beef Ribs - The largest of all ribs they take a considerable amount of time to cook, particularly if you want them to be tender as they are tougher than pork ribs. It is best to braise them before grilling.

Best way to BBQ Ribs

The problem most people have when it comes to barbequing ribs is either overcooking them, which leads to dry and tough ribs, or not cooking them long enough which can be a potential health hazard. One would guess that that is why most of the time they get overcooked.

There are ways around this problem. You can pre-cook your ribs either by boiling, steaming or slow cooking them in the oven before you put them on the grill. Make sure you pre-season your ribs before using these methods as this will help bring out the flavor in your ribs.

Many people boil or steam their ribs with beer which not only adds flavor but also tenderizes the meat making it fall off the bone. You can pre-cook your ribs from anywhere from 1 to 4 hours depending on which method you are using.

Once they have been pre-cooked just throw them on the grill for 5-10 minutes a side and brush on your favorite barbeque sauce.

Before you know it you will have perfectly grilled ribs that are ready to eat.

Tasty Marinades for Marinating Ribs before Cooking:

Marinades are seasoned liquids with acidic type ingredients, such as wine, vinegar, or lemon juice with added oils, herbs, and seasonings that the ribs can be soaked in to add delicious flavors. Marinades can also help tenderize tougther meat cuts.

Marinating Tips for Ribs:

Always marinate ribs (or any foods) in the refrigerator - never at room temperature.

Red meat should be marinated overnight - 12 to 14 hours of marination time.

Marinate ribs in a food safe plastic bag or container such as glass or ceramic, not aluminum.

Do not use thick marinades as thicker marinades cannot penetrate the ribs as well.

Thinner cuts of meat marinate more quickly.

Baste ribs during the final 5 to 10 minutes of grilling (with a new marinade batch) to maximize flavor.

Tasty Rib Marinades

1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic crushed
1 teaspoon cayenne
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1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
3 tablespoons sherry
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 scallions chopped
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1 cup soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

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1 cup water
2 tablespoon corn syrup
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon pork rub (use the same as you will use on the ribs)
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2 tbsp. orange juice
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp. soft brown sugar
2 tbsp. tomato ketchup
1 tsp. ground ginger
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1/4 c. soy sauce
Small bunch scallions, thinly sliced

Great Barbeque ribs Recipes:

BARBECUED BEEF RIBS

1 (5 lb.) slab beef back ribs
1 bunch green onions
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. cider vinegar

1. Cut beef into individual ribs, then place inside a glass baking dish.

2. In cup, combine vinegar, soy sauce and ginger for marinade. Pour the marinade you have made over the ribs. Cover tightly and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, turning it at least once.

3. Heat coals in grill to medium heat. Place grill rack about 4 inches above the coals. Remove the beef from the marinade. Grill ribs for 20 minutes on each side.

4. Stir honey into the marinade that is left. Brush over both sides of ribs. Grill for about 10 minutes longer on each side.

5. Trim green onions, brush with marinade and grill for 5 minutes, turning once. Serve the ribs garnished with the green onions.

ALABAMA BBQ RIBS

3 lbs. country style boneless pork ribs
1/2 bottle bbq sauce
Worcestershire sauce to taste (approx 3 tbsp)
1 can cola

Place ribs in a shallow pan. Mix BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl and set it aside. Pour cola over ribs along with BBQ and Worcestershire sauce mix also over the ribs.
Roll ribs around in sauce until they are covered and cola is mixed with sauce. Sprinkle garlic powder over the ribs.

Marinate for at least 2 hours. Bake 1 hour at 350°F. Can also be cooked on the grill.

All-American Pork Baby Back Ribs

4 pounds pork back ribs.
Season ribs with salt and pepper.
Your favorite barbecue sauce (purchased or homemade).

Place ribs on a medium-hot grill. Close the grill hood and let it all grill until ribs are nice and tender, for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. You should check up on it every so often to make sure there is enough charcoal to keep the temperature from 325 - 350 degrees F.
Finish by turning the ribs and adding the barbecue sauce for the last 15 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 860 calories
Protein 53 grams
Fat 64 grams
Sodium 1230 milligrams
Cholesterol 245 milligrams
Saturated Fat 23 grams
Carbohydrates 16 grams
Fiber 2 grams

GRILLED BBQ PORK RIBS

1 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. butter
1 c. plus preserves
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 c. red wine
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Melt some butter. Add onion and garlic. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for about 30 minutes. While ribs are cooking on the grill simply brush on the sauce.

TASTY BBQ SAUCE FOR PORK RIBS

1 c. brown sugar
14 oz. ketchup
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3-4 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. prepared mustard

Once mixed simply heat and pour on pork ribs.

Andrew Bicknell is a barbeque afficianado with a website about barbequing. For more tips and trick about how to cook barbeque ribs visit his web site at backyard-barbeque.worfdog.com/cooking-barbeque-ribs.html

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