Saturday, September 12, 2020

Grilling Season: Pork Ribs



My first time to attempt grilling ribs.  Sweet Harold has always been in charge of ribs on the smoker.  These really turned out tender and flavorful. You hear a lot of "falling off the bone" talk where ribs are concerned.  When that happens, in my opinion, they are cooked longer than they need to be.  The ideal rib is where you have a little resistance when you take a bite!

First, you'll need a rack of ribs and some dry rub. This rack, as you can see in the photo below, was a tad too long to fit on the grill rack properly.  I cut them into two pieces and offset them a little on the grill.

For the rub, I combined a couple of teaspoons of salt, and 1 t. EACH of paprika, onion powder, granulated garlic, ground black pepper, cumin, and coriander.  Pat the ribs dry with a paper towel and then carefully coat both sides of the ribs.

Preheat the grill to a temperature of 300 degrees F. using all burners.  If using a three burner grill, when the 300 degrees is reached, place the ribs, meaty side up, onto the grill rack, and turn the middle burner off. You'll only need to use indirect heat to cook the ribs.



Close grill and maintain the temperature between 275 and 300 degrees. Cook for 30 minutes and turn the ribs so that the opposite lengthwise side is facing the burner that is off (180-degree turn).  Repeat turning the ribs 180 degrees every 30 minutes for 4 - 4 1/2 hours. 

When the ribs are done, you can remove them from the grill, and serve them as is.  This is known as "dry rub" ribs.  If you'd like "wet ribs," brush on your favorite BBQ sauce onto both sides of the ribs and let them cook for another 15 minutes or so. 



Remove ribs from the grill, place on a large platter or cutting board, and turn them over so the underside is on top.  You will be able to see each rib bone and then you can slice in between the bones for serving.

These ribs took a little time and tender loving care, but wow were they worth the effort!  Tender, juicy, and flavorful.  Delicious!!

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