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Best Barbequed Spare Ribs

Posted Wed, May 20, 2009, 10:37 am PDT
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Memorial Day means the serious grill season has begun. Although our parent's generation dedicated almost all their grilling time to meats, today's avid grillers have learned that the backyard grill can be used to cook the whole meal. Now you can find more and more people grilling vegetables, breads, and even fruit. It's terrific.

So, I've decided to share some of my favorite grill recipes in upcoming entries (starting with this one) to prove that a whole delicious meal can be cooked on your grill if you choose. Besides, why heat up your kitchen this time of year if you don't have to?

To start said meal off right, I offer this Spare Rib rub recipe. It's a wonderful rub that turns into a mouth-watering barbeque. It can be found in my new book, Back to the Family (Thomas Nelson). Enjoy!

BARBEQUED SPARE RIBS
Makes 4 servings

Rub
¼ cup sweet paprika
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

3 (3-pound) full slabs pork back ribs
2 cups wood chips, soaked in water overnight or for at least 2 hours
Your favorite barbeque sauce

For the rub, combine the paprika, chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, salt, red pepper, oregano, sugar, black pepper, and white pepper in a small bowl. Place the ribs on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle or rub both sides of the ribs with the dry rub. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Drain water off the wood chips and place on an aluminum tray or a homemade tray of aluminum foil. Prepare an indirect-heat charcoal fire by putting all the coals in one corner or around the edges of the grill. Place the tray of chips above the hot coals. Close the lid and heat the grill to high until the chips are smoking (about 10 minutes).

Close the vents for medium heat.

Place the ribs in the center part of the grill where there are no coals. The temperature inside the grill should be 200 to 275 degrees.

Cover the grill and cook, turning every 30 minutes, until the meat starts to pull away from the bones, about 2 ½ hours.

Remove the ribs and wrap them in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

Unwrap the ribs and brush them with barbeque sauce before serving.

 

And check out these Hot Tips to Cut Calories at Your Next BBQ.

Average (43 Ratings): 4 out of 5 stars

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  • 1. Posted by Mansi Desai on Thu, Jul 26, 2007, 12:25 pm PDT

    Hi, That sure sounds like a winner with some people I know at work. They keep saying ribs are the hardest to grill, and I can point them here. I also share some facts about barbecue at http://funnfud.blogspot.com/. I'd appreciate if you could leave some feedback on the post. Thanks, -Mansi

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  • 2. Posted by John M on Mon, Jul 30, 2007, 6:16 pm PDT

    DRY stuff

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  • 3. Posted by Kathie on Thu, Aug 02, 2007, 4:40 pm PDT

    This recipe sounds great, I will be cookin up some ribs this week-end, thanks so much for sharing this with me.

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  • 4. Posted by un_cafe_au_lait on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 1:19 pm PDT

    what if you have a gas BBQ..ie. no coals just rocks.

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  • 5. Posted by tomaschpw on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 1:20 pm PDT

    I forward the receipe to my wife. I work late tonight, so if there not done by the time I get home im gonna let her have it....

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  • 6. Posted by nikkinick@sbcglobal.net on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 1:20 pm PDT

    The Rub sounds very tasty. I'm not sure about all the sugar though. It's sounds as if the ribs will be too sweet. I will be trying the recipe minus the white sugar.

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  • 7. Posted by katieecrenshaw on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 1:32 pm PDT

    This is accually the best cooking advice I have seen on Yahoo in a long time.. Thanks for the tips on cooking with wood chips..

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  • 8. Posted by Jerry W on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 1:36 pm PDT

    you can also do the same w/your over (except for the smoke). wrap your ribs up in aluminum foil & bake at 250 for abt 3 hrs. you will find your ribs are extremely tender & delicious. you can then use the juice inside to cook & make a great sauce

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  • 9. Posted by Jerry W on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 1:39 pm PDT

    & as for cooking steak, you shouldnt flip often. cook each side apprx 3-5 minutes on high heat (depending on your thickness). then wrap in aluminum foil & set for apprx 5 min. your steak will continue to cook in the foil & sets in the juices to soak flavor. do NOT continually flip

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  • 10. Posted by marlanaloebl on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 1:44 pm PDT

    sounds like a tastey dish..............

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  • 11. Posted by Cheri B on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 1:46 pm PDT

    I use the 3-2-1 method. Where you smoke the ribs for about 3 hours, wrap in foil for about 2 hours, and pour a 1/2 to 1 cup of apple juice over the ribs in the foil, then take out and cook for about another hour with the sauce. You get very tender ribs and they are very yummy.

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  • 12. Posted by brookinsmommy on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 1:49 pm PDT

    Sounds great

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  • 13. Posted by bicrowell on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 1:56 pm PDT

    wood chips do not need to be soaked. The water evaperates right away and leaves you with dry chips anyway.

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  • 14. Posted by John P on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 2:08 pm PDT

    Good ribs do not need sauce, of course to do that you have to buy a smoker.

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  • 15. Posted by shacksh8kr69 on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 2:13 pm PDT

    as far as grilling ribs on a bar-b-q pit, well to get them to be the most tender things you've ever seen, simply boil them in water for 5-10 minutes(depending on the size of the rack) then after they have cooled down enough to handle, season away and let the grill work its magic.

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  • 16. Posted by miahk.gianni on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 3:08 pm PDT

    I cook ribs all the time.Yes I make my own dry rub and I use brown sugar.I only flip my ribs once until they are cooked then I flip a few times for about 15 min while using a mop, and Aluminum foil never touches my smoker.Don't boil your ribs unless your a poser and don't want to try the way that real BBQ cooks do it.I bought a round smoker at Wal Mart and its great except for you need to drill small holes in the burn pan.I smoke with charcoal, mulberry, and cherry wood and I never soak it. Just keep the smoker temp right in the middle and you'll do just fine.My ribs are not fall off the bone ,they are very tender and have some substance too them.I don't like ribs that just mush in your mouth like mashed potatoes.Meat should be tender but still have body to it.I have yet to find a Rib cooked better than mine and all those who have eaten my ribs will agree.

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  • 17. Posted by Wendy on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 3:38 pm PDT

    These are incredibly good! I've tried this recipe.

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  • 18. Posted by bubbas_bbq on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 4:37 pm PDT

    FYI... you DO have to soak the wood chips... if the water evaperates right away as you say, your temps are too high... your not bbq'ing, your grilling... BIG DIFFERENCE!!!

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  • 19. Posted by bono209 on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 4:38 pm PDT

    I LOVE RIBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  • 20. Posted by jaye_dee64 on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 4:40 pm PDT

    i think we'll have ribs tonight

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  • 21. Posted by CuRLy on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 4:43 pm PDT

    Sounds GOOD!!

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  • 22. Posted by woman j on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 4:49 pm PDT

    so u mean to tell me, you all can't cook thats too funny, i've got a recipe for all of you instead of rub use garlic powder soysauce and lemon juice equal parts of soy sauce and lemon juice and sprinkle garlic powder all over ribs and in the mixture . personally i like to fight the fire on the grill with my waterbottle or the juice left from the mixture when you ready to get it on the grill.

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  • 23. Posted by misterniceguy on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 4:55 pm PDT

    An easy way to tell if the ribs are done is to lift one end with tongs and if the rack bends in half, they're done. Also, if the meat "falls off" the bone, they're overdone.

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  • 24. Posted by misterniceguy on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 4:55 pm PDT

    An easy way to tell if the ribs are done is to lift one end with tongs and if the rack bends in half, they're done. Also, if the meat "falls off" the bone, they're overdone.

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  • 25. Posted by venus973 on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 4:59 pm PDT

    for a different taste use a mixture of Mesquite and pecan wood....and yes you DO need to soak the wood...wet wood creates more smoke....go make a fire in the woods for practical application. and the apple juice ribs go really well with a south Carolina mustard base barbecue sauce.

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  • 26. Posted by Mariah L on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 5:03 pm PDT

    I've found that boiling pork ribs helps the meat to thicken a little and also prevents drying out. I boil them in texjoy seasoning, garlic and pepper for about 10 minutes and then season and cook. Everyone that has had them said they are the best.

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  • 27. Posted by penguinlover39 on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 5:03 pm PDT

    I've had really good luck steaming my ribs in a pan sealed with foil, but I slice either onion(for a little spicy/sweet taste) and pour apple juice to cover just the bottom of the pan or lemons with juice to cover bottom of pan(just plain tender) and lay over the ribs while steaming in 250° oven for approximately 1 1/2-2 hours. Then I remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes, then on to the grill they go with whatever seasoning we decide,whether I make my own bbq or teriyaki sauce or a dry rub. They are tender and don't take long to cook on the grill, just enough to "smoke" them, and for all you people who don't use wood chips, they still taste pretty darn good!

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  • 28. Posted by fcreyer on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 5:12 pm PDT

    i always par boil white meat such as pork or chicken especially chicken nothing worse than under cooked chicken

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  • 29. Posted by joaquim on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 5:20 pm PDT

    bush league. check these ingredients: 3 sweetners, 3 peppers and salt - not to mention store bought sauces are presweetened. for starters, pros know acidity marinates meat. that's the only tip you'll get. back to the drawing board, rookie! joaquim

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  • 30. Posted by Vic J on Fri, Aug 03, 2007, 5:29 pm PDT

    You could also soak your wood chips in apple cider or beer

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