A Man and his Apron - Grilling Ribs

I have found ribs (beef or pork) to be one of the most challenging things to grill.  I struggled and struggled for years trying to grill great ribs.  I would try one technique and get good flavor, but the ribs would not have the true “fall off the bone” texture.  I would try another method and I would get good texture, but I would burn or char the meat.  I just could not get it right.  Finally (!) I figured it out, and the answer is …  

PATIENCE! 

With steaks the key is cooking HOT and FAST, with ribs it’s LOW and SLOW!

Ribs require several hours of cooking time. They contain a high proportion of connective tissue that, if cooked too fast or at too high of a temperature, will not adequately break down. The goal is to cook the ribs at 200 to 300 degrees F,  holding them at this temp for an extended period of time so that the connective tissue will break down leaving a nice tender piece of meat.

The GREAT DEBATE, TO BOIL OR NOT TO BOIL

Many of you were taught to pre-cook ribs by boiling them in a pot of water before cooking them on the grill. This is referred to as Parboiling.  Most in the “food world”, call them food snobs if you like, cringe at the thought of parboiling ribs.  The issue is their belief that boiling removes the entire flavor from the rib meat.  So why do people do it?  Time, cooking ribs without boiling takes 3 ½ to 4 hours.  Boiling can reduce your cooking time in half.  I will not weigh in on the boil or not boil issue; I will leave that up to you.  If you do choose to boil your ribs (and I have done it) may I recommend that you boil the ribs in something other than just water?  A common suggestion is to combine the boiling water with other ingredient such as beer, red wine, apple juice or bay leaf to impart other flavors into the meat.

Techniques

There are several methods for cooking ribs including smoking, wet/dry regiments, broiling, baking etc.  I have several friends who swear that using your oven is the best way to slow cook ribs.  For the record many, many restaurants known for ribs use a baking method to cook their ribs.  No doubt a great way to cook ribs, but I am going to focus on grilling ribs.  I will offer up two ways to grill ribs; each way has its pro & cons but in the end will give you a very successful and tasty result.

LET’S GET COOKING

Whatever method you choose, I do recommend some simple prep.

• Use the freshest ribs you can find.
• Wash/rinse your ribs, pat dry.
• Place the ribs, meat side down, on a cutting surface and with a sharp knife remove the membrane that covers the backside or bone side of the meat.  If you are having difficulty removing the membrane, simply score the membrane in a large X pattern using the tip of your knife.
• Do not cut or section the ribs, cook as full slabs

Parboil, Grill Steam, Grill – Approximate Cooking Time 1 ½ to 2 Hrs

• Prep the ribs.
• Place the ribs in a large stock pot, just cover the ribs with liquid (see suggestions from above), using high heat bring the liquid to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover the pot and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes.
• While the ribs are boiling, line a large metal baking pan with cooking foil, let the foil extend over the sides of the baking pan.
• When the ribs are finished boiling remove them from the stock pot and remove excess water.
• Place the ribs on top of the foil in the pan.  Lightly cover your ribs with BBQ sauce and add water to the pan, approximately ¼ to 1/3 full.  You do not want to fully cover the ribs with water.  Wrap the excess foil over the top of the ribs, creating a foil tent over the ribs. 
• Place the pan, with the ribs in the foil, on a medium to medium hot grill.
• Let the ribs steam in the foil tent for 45 to 60 minutes with the grill lid closed.  There is no need to flip or disturb the ribs, do check the water level in the baking pan, making sure the pan does not boil dry.  
• Remove the pan from the grill surface.  Turn the grill down to low heat.
• Carefully remove the ribs from the foil tent and pan, they should be very tender.  Place the ribs on the grill, using a brush or cooking mop, add your favorite BBQ sauce to the top of the ribs.  Cook for 5 minutes or so. Flip the ribs and cover the top with sauce.  Repeat until you have a nice glaze of BBQ on your ribs.  Enjoy!

 SLOW COOKING – Approximate Cooking Time 3 ½ to 4 hrs

• Prep the ribs.
• Dry rub the ribs with a good rib rub and set aside.
• If using a Charcoal grill, light your coals and let them burn for approximately 30 minutes.  Using tongs move the coals to the exterior edges of the grill surface.
• For a gas grill, use the lowest heat setting or turn one set of burners off, if you have a dual burner set-up.
• Place the ribs, meaty side up, in the center of the grill, not directly over any of coals or flame if possible. 
• Cover/close the lid of the grill, let the ribs cook slowly. 
• Place a lawn chair near the grill, place a cooler filled with your favorite beverage near the lawn chair. 
• Sit in the lawn chair, while sitting in the lawn chair enjoy a beverage or two.
• Tell anyone within earshot how much work you are doing.
• Monitor the grill for flare ups and add small amounts of charcoal to the grill if using a charcoal grill.  Let the ribs cook for 3 ½ to 4 hours.
• At this point move the ribs over the coals or low flame, using a brush or cooking mop, add your favorite BBQ sauce to the top of the ribs.  Cook for 5 minutes or so. Flip the ribs and cover the top with sauce.  Repeat until you have a nice glaze of BBQ on your ribs.  Enjoy!