How To Make Barbecue Ribs On The Grill

The best way to get flavor out of barbeque ribs is to use a charcoal grill. The charcoal seems to bring out the smoky texture of the ribs. You can also use a gas grill to cook your ribs but with less taste.

Start with a clean grill. A nice size grill is a 22.5 inches, but use whatever type grill you have. Fresh charcoal is best, and easier to light. Keep your charcoal dry. If you do not grill very much, or if you live in a humid part of the world, you should keep your charcoal in an airtight container. Use about 25 briquettes for the 22.5-inch grill for an hour of grilling, and eight more each hour after that. Make a pyramid of your charcoal and light the charcoal, the charcoal will be ready when the fire is out and the ashes are white. Spread the charcoal out evenly through out the grill with tongs. Fire up the grill in advance, charcoal needs time to become red hot, with a thin white ash coating. Gas grills also need preheating time, up to 15 minutes with the burners on high and the lid down. For a medium hot grill, you should be able to hold your palm an inch or two above the grill for 3 to 4 seconds.

Spray the rack with a non-stick spray before putting on the ribs, it will stop the ribs from sticking and save time on clean up. Here is a great pork recipe: 3 or 4 pounds pork loin baby back ribs or spareribs, cut into small sections 1 1/2 cups molasses 1/2 cup spicy mustard 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 3 teaspoons dry mustard Combine molasses, mustard, cider vinegar and dry mustard. Place ribs on grill, making sure the meaty sides are up. Grill about 1 hour, but use a meat thermometer for best results. Baste frequently with sauce during last 20 minutes of grilling. To help prevent flare-ups, close the lid and leave the vents open.

Here are a couple of beef recipes: 8-10 lbs. boneless beef ribs 2 cups barbecue sauce 1 or 2 cans beer, any flavor 1 clove garlic, minced Salt and pepper, to taste Mix beer, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large pan. Soak ribs for several hours. Bake ribs in mixture until done at 350 degrees. You will need a meat thermometer for this recipe. Place boneless ribs on grill, over medium heat. Baste with any favorite barbecue sauce, and cook for about 15 or 20 minutes. For this recipe, the grill must be prepared for indirect grilling. Arrange the charcoal in a pyramid on one side of the grill, it does not matter which side of the grill. Place a drip pan or any pan that cannot burn in the bottom of the grill, beside the charcoal. It should be large enough for the ribs to drip into, and not cause a flare-up. You can also keep some water in the drip pan, to help with flare-ups from the dripping ribs. Light the charcoal as usual and when the charcoal is ready to spread, only spread it out in the small area on the side that you originally started the charcoal.

This is indirect grilling. 5 pounds beef back ribs, cut into small sections Salt and black pepper, to your taste 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil 1 small onion, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup ketchup 1 cup chili sauce 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoon packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon Tabasco Place ribs in shallow pan and season with salt and pepper. Keep ribs in the refrigerator until ready to grill. Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir until onion is tender. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Baste ribs with sauce and grill for one hour, turning every 15 minutes. Bring remaining sauce to a boil for a couple of minutes. This will be your sauce to serve at your table. If you use the same marinade that you have soaked meat in, remember to boil it for a couple of minutes first to kill any bacteria.

All of the above recipes work with gas grills as well. To detect fully cooked ribs and not over cook them, use a meat thermometer. For beef and pork, the guidelines are roughly the same. The temperature of rare meat is 120 to 130°F, medium rare 130 to 135°F, medium 140 to 150°F, medium well 155 to 165°F and over 165 °F is well done. Insert the thermometer two inches into the rib to get an accurate reading. Take your ribs off the coals when it is 5 or 10 degrees below whatever you want your final reading to be, as the meat will continue to cook. The ribs will need to rest. Adding wood chips and chunks can add wonderful flavors to your ribs. Soak different flavors for one hour before scattering over the hot coals, or you can add some Liquid Smoke to the drip pan for some added flavor.