R-I-B-S

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Permalink Reply by Lt. Caleb French on March 23, 2009 at 2:33pm

2 of the biggest:

Make sure that the membrane on the inside of the rack is REMOVED before marinating and cooking.

Know when your ribs are done. (When the meat has shrunk about 1/4 inch from the end of the bones)

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Permalink Reply by John Schander on March 23, 2009 at 3:21pm

Don't over cook. The meatshould come off the bone cleanly, when you bite into it. It shouldn't just fall off the bone at the slightest touch.

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Permalink Reply by Lt. Caleb French on March 23, 2009 at 3:54pm

Correct, a common misconception is that the meat should be "fall-off-the-bone" tender... W-R-O-N-G, Ribs should have a little chew to them.

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Permalink Reply by Russell McLean on March 25, 2009 at 11:00pm

Removing the membrane....I have never heard of that, but I'll give it a try. A good rub is key, with a mixture of sweet and salty, but watch your salt though. When you put your sauce on the ribs, you're adding salt that is already in the sauce, and it tends to make it too salty. BBQ is VERY subjective, though. It depends on what part of the country you're from.
Try this-in whatever rub you're using, add some dark brown sugar and some lemon pepper. It's a nice mix. Baby backs on a smoker should take about six hours. Grab the rack in middle with your tongs, and if they sag on each end, they're just about there.

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Permalink Reply by Lt. Caleb French on March 25, 2009 at 11:03pm

Removing the membrane lets the marinade or the rub flavor seep into the meat better. : )

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Permalink Reply by Russell McLean on April 15, 2009 at 11:34pm

i did that this weekend with the membrane.......good heavens, was it good. I went old school on the rub-season all salt, garlic powder and pepper.

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Permalink Reply by Robert C. Baker on March 26, 2009 at 5:55pm

Wash em off real good, trim any loose fat and peel off the membrane on the backside of the ribs, rub em real good in your seasonings, place in plastic zip bag and let em sit overnight in the fridge, allowing the seasons to soak into the meat. Now I parbake my ribs about 30 minutes, browning them up a bit in a 350 oven, then its onto the grill for some slower cooking over a med high heat and as Caleb said, " a 1/4 '' or so off the bone ends and your almost done. If you want to add BBQ sauce do it at the table or the last 10 min on the grill. And bring plenty of napkins and a bib.

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Permalink Reply by John on April 1, 2009 at 2:16pm

I like the low-n-slow method of fixing my ribs, Low heat and long time grilling them, better if you have a grill with indirect heat and a way of regulating the temp around 200-250 degrees.

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Permalink Reply by Russell McLean on April 15, 2009 at 11:35pm

That's what I did this weekend....do you use pecan wood?

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Permalink Reply by chek435 on April 12, 2009 at 9:57am

I've always been a believer in the ol' parboil and quick simple sauce. I guess the firehouse did that! I'll take a rack of babys, cut it in sections of 3-4 ribs and bring them to a boil in garlic salted water. Then simmer them for an hour. This process gets a lot of the 'grease' out of them and keeps the meat juicy. NO MORE THAN AN HOUR THO or you'll have the fallin'-off-the-bone thing going on. Then it's into a mix of Homestyle Bullseye sauce with Texas Pete added for a kick. I like a 2:1 mix which is zippy but not too hot. Off to the hot grill for about 5 minutes on each side or until you get a crisp edge. It's a favorite of ALL my peeps and they can't believe how simple it is.

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Permalink Reply by Gary L Finch on April 16, 2009 at 2:20pm

I parboil, about 5 min. just till they turn color. Then off to the grill for about 2hrs at around 225 deg., using some garlic salt and pepper. Sauce them about 15 min from finishing. My 11 yr old daughter has requested them the last 3 weekends.

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Permalink Reply by Don James on July 5, 2009 at 11:08pm

Some tricks that we use here in the K.C. area are:
1. Remove the membrane on the back of the ribs, this is an age old argument but the membrane can get chewy and rubbery sometimes and that's not a texture for good ribs. Get it started with a screw driver or fork and you should be able to pull it all off.
2. Spice, find your favorite rub, do some experimenting but I always use the 1:1 ratio rule, 1part sweet to 1 part salt, then adjust the chili powder and pepper to taste. BBQ sauce, if needed, should be served at the table on the side.
3. I use plain mustard or olive oil and give the rib a coating, this helps the rub stick while cooking. It's also good to let them sit covered in the fridge for a couple of hours after the rub to rest.
4. Slow and low, 220-250 degrees on a smoker is best but if you don't have all day, you can cook them on a hot grill but I would not place them directly over the coals or flames.
5. About once an hour, spray them down with some apple or orange juice in a clean spray bottle to keep them from getting too dry while cooking.
6. Cook the ribs bone side down or, I bought a cheap rib rack that holds them on their side while cooking. This helps the ribs to cook more evenly and allows for more ribs on the grill. If you don't have that, you can bend the ends together and form a circle by pinning the ends together.
7. Smoke, apple wood is good for pork, if you don't have a smoker, you can get a wood chip smoke box for your grill at any home improvement store.
Anyways, just a few simple tricks, hope this helps!

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