Tuesday, April 27, 2010

BBQ Pork Ribs

Ribs are succulent.  Done right they are tender, meaty, with just the right amount of smokiness.  Believe it or not, I didn't grow up eating ribs.  Well, I DID eat a whole lot of beef ribs (Korean style-Galbi), but pork ribs were pretty much unheard of in our house.  My first experience was as an adult, out with friends.  And my love for them has only gotten stronger. 
I use a different method for making my ribs.  I am a notorious BBQ burner.  I have a hard time staying in one spot for more than a few minutes at a time, so there is no way I could manage slow cooking ribs on a charcoal grill without charring the daylights out of them.  My trick is to cook them in the oven first, wrapped in plastic wrap AND foil.  I used to cook them at a very low heat for 3 hours, but they were so tender, that they would fall apart before I could get them on the grill.  And really, I like my ribs with just a little bit of chew.  Not much, but enough so you have to bite down before the meat comes off.  Otherwise, it feels more like I'm eating braised short ribs, and that's not what we are going for here.  I cook them at 300 F for an hour, then put them on a charcoal grill for the smoky flavor. 
I use a dry rub without salt, so you may want to salt them at the end of cooking or before they go on the charcoal grill.  (I find that the sauce adds enough salt for me but I tend to like my food less salty than most.)   Then finish them off with my homemade BBQ sauce.  Served with side of collard greens, corn, and macaroni and cheese, and you have a feast fit for any occasion.

BBQ Pork Ribs

3 Slabs of pork spareribs
Dry Rub
BBQ Sauce

Dry Rub:
1 cup paprika
1/2 cup chili powder (I used New Mexico, of course)
4 tablespoons onion powder
Store what you don't use in a sealed container.

Rinse and dry the ribs.  Pull off the membrane.  Season both sides with the rub.  Wrap ribs and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
When you are ready to start cooking, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Wrap each individual slab with plastic wrap, and then again with aluminum foil.  Set the ribs on two rimmed baking sheets.  Bake for an hour to hour and a half.
Get charcoal grill ready.  Try to maintain a low heat. 
When the ribs are done in the oven, unwrap carefully and place the ribs on the charcoal grill.  Grill for about 20 minutes, flipping a couple of times to keep them from burning.  At the end of grilling, baste each slab with BBQ sauce.  Remove from grill.

Here are the ribs cleaned, but still with the membrane attached
After they have been rubbed
Wrapped in plastic
Wrapped in foil over the plastic
Ready to oven bake
Done from the oven, now onto the grill
On the grill


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