Blogging away: Ribs, My Recipe

I'm not a great cook. I grill but I've had to learn better techniques as I went. I, as many guys do, tended to overcook the chicken, fear pork tenderloin, and cook my steaks the same way for everyone. But I've learned along the way. The best thing I've learned is how to make pork ribs. So I thought I would share my recipe for making, in my opinion and several others, some pretty tasty ribs. I like my ribs to have a good flavor yet also have a little jerky feel on the outside. That helps sear the flavor and juices inside yet I also want the meat to fall off the bone. As I like to say, I want my ribs to be the kind Fred Flintstone ate. The kind that when you eat them, the bone is clean. I don't want to have to gnaw the bone to get all the meat.
So here's what I do...
First I pick out 1-2 nice slabs of baby back pork loin ribs. I've tried several kinda and haven't found too much difference if they are prepared properly but I do stick with baby backs.
I use McCormicks Grill Mates Pork Rub. I like the flavor and it has a slight bite to it.

The Rib Rub I use

Then I prep the ribs the day before. Make sure you have a nice clean large area to work with to ensure you have room to work and an easy clean up. I remove the ribs from the packaging and place them on a large cookie sheet. If the rib racks are large I cut them in half to make handling easier. I flip them to expose the backside and score the membrane on the back of the ribs with a knife to allow the flavor to seep into the backside. I then take some Virgin Olive Oil and coat the ribs front, back and edges. Then I take the rib rub and coat the entire rack front, back and edges and pat it into the ribs to make sure it is well adhered to the ribs. My nephew Pat did the patting this time. It was only appropriate.

My Assistant Pat (Nephew)

I then wrap them tight in some cellophane and place them into Ziploc baggie to ensure they do not leak inside the refrigerator. I fridge them overnight to allow the rub to soak into the ribs.

The next day you want to plan the next stages to ensure they are finished at dinner time.

About 5 hours before dinner I take them out and let them sit for about 30 min to bring them closer to room temperature. I kick the grill on and get it nice and hot. You may at this time spray the ribs or the grill with Pam for Grilling to keep them from sticking to the grill, it just makes it easier.

FYI: Do not spray the grill while it is on! No I did not learn this lesson personally...

(I know you were wondering..)

Place the ribs on the hot grill for 5 minutes each side ensuring no flame ups.

On the grill

Remove from grill and place back onto large stone cookie sheet. If you only have a regular one that's fine, but make sure it has a lip around it to prevent spills. I pour a little bit of beer into the bottom of the cookie sheet. Do not pour directly onto ribs as it will wash off some of the rub. You may want to use a regular beer, nothing fancy or heavy. Place foil over the cookie sheet and make sure it's a tight fit to keep the moisture inside. Preheat oven to 260-270 degrees.

Sealed up in Foil and ready for the oven.. 265 Degrees

Cook for 3 hours at 265 degrees. Remove from oven. Coat with BBQ sauce. I like KC Masterpiece Hickory and Brown Sugar. It makes for a nice balance with the rub spice. Coat really well but don't over coat it. Usually 2 layers is good. Make sure to get all the crevices and edges and the exposed bone as well as they make for great flavor as well and when the meat is gone, some people may return to chew on the bone!

Adding the BBQ sauce

Now here you have 2 choices. If you are using a stone cookie sheet, you can re-cover it with foil and leave it out as the stoneware will continue to cook it, caramelizing the BBQ sauce. You can also leave the foil off and place back into oven at about 150 degrees for about 20 minutes for the same effect.