BBQ Ribs

One way or another, some of the greatest memories of eating involve ribs. When they are just a little crispy underneath a layer of bbq sauce and falling off the bone tender, it makes me melt.

I still remember the first time I tried to cook them and the frustration it caused me. The first batch ever was spare ribs. I just threw them on the grill and let em go for a bit and pulled them off. I learned so much from that point on. My first mistake was the heat. It was way too hot. Second was the lack of aluminum foil and third was the lack of a good dry rub.

So, for all you rib lovers, here is my steps for ribs, two ways. Once for camping and one for at home.

Home Grilled BBQ Ribs

2-3 Racks of spareribs or baby back ribs
1 bowl of dry rub (recipe below)
Lots of foil
1 recipe bbq sauce

Rinse the ribs in cool water to remove the extra juices. Pat dry with a towel. Lay out enough foil to wrap the ribs in individual packets for each rack. Place ribs on these peices. Rub the dry rub on both sides of the ribs. (I never remove the thin white membrane from the bottom. I always feel it helps keep the ribs together once they can't on their own anymore) Wrap up into a packet and double wrap with another layer of foil.

Turn 1/2 of the grill on the lowest heat. This is tricky if you have a 3 burner grill, turn the middle burner on. You want the grill at 225-275F. No hotter. No cooler. If you have a two burner grill put the racks to the opposite side of the grill that the heat is on. Do not stack racks on top of one another if you can help it. I've done it, but there is alot of tending that needs to be done. If you have a 3 burner set up you can put one rack on the direct burner if needed. Otherwise keep them both on the outside.

Grill for 3-4 hours like this. Every now and again flipping the rotation of the ribs. Taking the outer ones and making them inners an so forth. If you had to stack take the top ones to the bottom and the bottom to the top; the closest to the heat farthest away. If you have the 3 burner set up make sure to take the rack in the direct heat to one of the outside edges.

After 3-4 hours remove the foil, turn all the burners on low and start saucing. This then makes the outside crispy and the inside is still juicy. It also chars them somewhat. I usually give them 20 minutes at this point. And viola! Ribs!

Camping Ribs:

I do use the dutch oven for these. Use 18-20 briquettes for each oven. Cut the ribs into 4 rib peices and line the oven with foil. Dry rub the ribs and place as many as can fit in the ovens. You will go through about 3-6 batches of briquettes so make sure you have enough for the long cooking time. After 4-6 hours the ribs should be falling off the bone. You can sauce and eat or roast over the fire for 20 minutes with the sauce to char the outside. Viola! Ribs!

My Dry Rub:

1 cup brown sugar
1 tabls garlic powder
2 tabls paprika
1 tabls cayenne
Good dash of salt
Lots of fresh ground pepper


My BBQ Sauce

1 can tomato ketchup
Good dashes of Worsh sauce
1 tabl vinegar or more to taste
1/2-1 cup of brown sugar
1 can of pineapple juice
Good dash of cayenne
1/2 teas cumin
1 -2 teas garlic powder
Good jig or two of bourbon or whiskey
Molasses


Note about the BBQ sauce: I really don't measure so those are off the top of my head. I just add and adjust till it tastes "right".