Who's Grilling Ribs this 4th of July
 

I plan to cook/grill some Baby Back ribs <If I can find them>.

It's been a while since I've done cooked ribs, but I think I'm going to soak the ribs in beer/whiskey tonight, <after peeling off that tough thin layer of fat> then dry rub tomorrow and bake over some juice & beer, at about 200* for 3-4 hrs. Refrigerate over night and grill with BBQ on Saturday for about 30minutes or till it's warm.


What ya'll think, how are ya'll going to do it?

I'm taking some to a party, so I'm gonna cheap out a little and do St. Louis style spare ribs. Around here, that translates to $2.49/lb versus $4.99 for baby backs.

Anywho, I'll trim 'em up proper, then marinade them in some cider and OJ, etc... overnight. Then pat dry and smear 'em with mustard, and then rub 'em down with a sweet/hot rub I make. The I'll start smoking 'em around 250 deg., spraying them with apple juice every 1/2 hour. I also like to keep a light smoke going for the first couple hours, starting with mesquite then finishing with apple wood. I'll do the Texas crutch a few hours in, then finish 'em up until I'm satisfied they're done and the meat's pulled back off the bones enough.

I personally prefer smoking baby backs with a dry rub, and just leave 'em alone for 6 hours. In this case, I know the group will be made up of people that don't really know what they're getting, and think that all ribs should have the meat falling off the bone. That's why I chose this method. :cheers:

Those sound GREAT...

Im planning on PR....:cheers:

Overall they came out ok...they weren't fall of the bone, not sure what else I could have done. We wound up baking for 4 hours, refrigerating overnight, we put them in a smoker for about 45 minutes, then put on BBQ sauce and caramelized the sauce <5 minutes maybe>.

The flavor was great, the texture was great, they just weren't falling off the bone :-(

Did I need to cook them longer? Did I cook them at too high a temp?

200 degrees is fine, they should have just cooked longer

How long do y'all cook your ribs?

Babybacks for around 4-4.5 hours at around 220. Just at the point where they pull off the bone very easily.

:banghead::banghead::banghead: I must've been close.

Or did I need a stronger marinade the night before?

Easy way to check. if they break when you try to fold the rack they're done.

So internal temp really doesn't matter...they must maintain that temp for a few hours?

6 of one, half doz of the other, when they break, they've reached the right temp!:thumbs:, unless you want mush, or don't have any teef!:D:D

I don't go by the fall off the bone. I remember watching a big bbq rib contest in Texas and the judges all said that the meat should come clean off the bone when you bite it. Fall off the bone is overcooked.

You can also tell the ribs are ready when the ends of the bones are black and dried out.

By that definition I nailed it.

You got it. It's a matter of preference, so I gauge the crowd.

Fall off the bone is easy, raise your temps. Just don't go over 275.
Easiest way to raise consistent temps on a smoker, is to use lump charcoal rather than charcoal brickettes. Lump burns hotter and longer with less ash, just have plenty on hand. Brickettes burn cooler, and all that ash claps up the air flow after a while, making temp adjustments a real PITA.

Well it's 4th of July again, and I'll be grillin ribs! Hahaha , if I cut the racks in half prior to cooking, will it cause any changes with cooking times?

I got 2 packages of baby backs yesterday, $2.88/lb, so they're scheduled to be smoked on Wednesday.
I do this a few times each year.
On occassion, I'll throw a whole chicken in with the ribs:
Hand rub applied (Paprika, garlic powder (not salt) and pepper. Minimum 3 hour set time, longer is better)
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...1/03cda0f9.jpg

Hickory chips, soaked in water for 3 hours, 3 burner grill, center burner off, 2 outside burners at low with inverted tents that hold the chips(indirect heat). I put a hand-full of chips in every 15 minutes over a two hour period.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...1/100_1155.jpg

Pot of salt potatoes (sp :slap:) , 30 minutes over direct (low) heat with a slathering of BBQ sauce,

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...1/100_1158.jpg


2.5 hrs cooking time, not much work, turns out great:

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...1/100_1159.jpg

Wednesday can't get here fast enough: :seasix:

Re: Who's Grilling Ribs this 4th of July
 

That seems easy enough. Im going to use your grill method. First time rib chef here lol

Make sure the broiler pan is tightly wrapped with tin foil, it won't hurt to cook more like 5 hours in the oven, :yesnod:

Re: Who's Grilling Ribs this 4th of July
 

Its been so hot i want to use the grill. Do you need to use the oven too or just the grill? I really need to find all the info somewhere online i guess lol. Wife and i really want ribs. Neither of us have ever made them from scratch. We have just got the premade store deals where you just warm them up. Really burnt out on those.