A Guide to Grilling Ribs
When the summer season arrives and the word “barbecue” starts floating around, one of the first things to come to mind is grilling ribs. Whether your previous attempts to grill ribs were unsuccessful or you are simply looking for other techniques to try, we have plenty of pointers here for you! We are going to talk about a few different ways that you can grill the tastiest ribs ever, so get out your pencil and paper and get ready to take some notes…!
The first tip for grilling ribs of the luscious variety is to understand what kind of ribs you are going to cook. Generally, the most popular variety are either beef or pork, but there are also baby back ribs, spare ribs, and short ribs. Each type of rib differs in the texture and the overall taste of the meat. Let’s get acquainted with the three most common types of ribs.
We will start out with beef spare ribs, aka “back ribs”. Back ribs are very tender, as they are cut off from the prime rib. They are quite large and hard to confuse with any other type of ribs, as they are quite large and often cooked as one long slab of ribs. Often, beef spare ribs contain more bone than meat, but is sure is GOOD meat! Expect for one slab of spare ribs to fee about two or three people.
Next we will consider beef short ribs. Short ribs are, well…short, at about two inches long. If you are searching for a meatier rib, then this is probably your best bet, as they pack loads of meat! They also have more fat than spare ribs, but they are loaded with flavor. These are often the cheapest type of ribs to purchase, so if you want to feed loads of people on one budget, then short ribs might be your best bet.
Last, but definitely not least, is the pork baby back ribs. Sound familiar? It should, because they are probably the most popular type of rib around! These ribs come in a narrow slab, but don’t be mistaken, they have quite a lot of meat on them. Baby back ribs come from the loin area, which means that these ribs are tender and bursting with flavor. If you prepare a whole rack of baby back ribs, you could probably feed two or three people with is.
The first step in preparing yummy ribs is to marinade them. This is best done if you allow the ribs to marinade for at least 24 hours. The marinade is usually in the form of a “dry rub” that must be rubbed all over the ribs. Place this in a plastic bag or plastic wrap and refrigerate them for 24 hours, or overnight at the very least.
When it’s time to cook, you want to be sure you have plenty of time to do so, because ribs always turn out better when cooked at a lower heat for a longer amount of time. Try to keep the grill temperature between 200 degrees F and 225 degrees F. Place the ribs bone-side down on the grill. It may take about two hours to cook the ribs, but it will definitely be worth the wait! Be sure to turn the ribs several times throughout cooking, and about half way through, coat them with “mop sauce”.
Mop sauce keeps the ribs flavorful and juicy. The following is a basic but nice mop sauce recipe: 2 cups of water, half a cup of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 stick of butter. Add your own bits and bobs to get the taste you want, such as garlic or onion.
Shortly before your ribs are done, you want to give them a good coating of your finishing sauce. This can be anything from A1 to your favorite barbecue sauce, or you can just use this simple recipe: 2 cups of ketchup, 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of black pepper, 1 clove of garlic, and the juice from half a lemon.
To test whether the ribs are done, give the end of the bone a little shake. If the meat loosens away from the bone, then the ribs are done and ready to be enjoyed! I hope you find these tips helpful the next time you find yourself grilling ribs!