We all love some good ribs. They are the ultimate example of “stick to the bones” food and they are great with a good cold beer in the summer. Here’s a great simple recipe to do that this summer (or when ever you can get out to use your grill/smoker).
First, let’s talk about a popular ribs cooking technique that many follow for a solid way to cook good ribs every time…the 3, 2, 1 method. It’s simple,
1. Grill / smoke the ribs for 3 hours
2. Wrap them in aluminum foil for continue cooking for another 2 hours
3. Baste (with sauce, or more rub), grill over fire or inside under a broiler, and finish for another hour
We like this, but we personally skip the last part if steps 1 and 2 are done properly.
Also, let’s talk silver skin. (What the heck is that?!) Don’t fret, silver skin is the whitish, silvery membrane that runs along the back side of the ribs. While it is not necessary to remove this membrane, it is very easy, and can help to make your ribs softer and easier to eat. We prefer to always remove the silver skin from our ribs for the perfect juicy and tender ribs.
Removing silver skin can be a little tricky but shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds:
• Slide a small, rounded knife (not a sharp knife) under the silverskin anywhere along the rib rack, and pull up on the skin to loosen it.
• If it won't pull up in one spot, simply try another.
• Lift and loosen the membrane or silver skin with the knife until it's loose enough that you can grab it with your hands.
• Pull the silver skin off of the rack of ribs; it should peel away in one large sheet, but if it breaks - no worries- just use the knife to restart the easy process in another section of ribs.
Ok, with that out of the way, here’s what you need to make some fall-off-the-bone ribs, starting with a sample rub recipe (spoiler alert, we like a lot of oregano AND coffee in our BBQ):
INGREDIENTS
For the rub:
1 tbsp ground black or white pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp smoked Paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp celery salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp mexican oregano powder
1 tbsp of your favorite instant coffee
For baste in foil (step 2)
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
tbsp of brown sugar
Optional: tbsp of your favorite BBQ sauce
For the Ribs:
1 rack baby back ribs, reduce cook time if using spare or St. Louis Style ribs
INSTRUCTIONS (using a smoker, but you can easily adopt to a grill if you can keep the temp at 225 degrees for a long period of time)
Pre-soak wood chips in water for ½ hour.
Preheat wood chips in smoker to get to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove ribs from any packaging and pat dry.
Remove silver skin and trim off any excess sloppy bits from ribs.
Mix rub ingredients well, cover completely over ribs.
Let come to room temperature while wood begins to smoke and smoker comes to temperature.
Step 1: Smoke ribs on smoker for 2-3 hours (depending on the ribs)
Step 2: Lay out foil and lay ribs on top, adding baste into foil and wrap ribs tightly in foil. Cook in foil for 1-2 hours.
Open foil and baste ribs in cooking liquids, let set for 15 minutes.
For Step 3
FOR RIBS WITHOUT SAUCE:
• BASTE ANOTHER 2-3 TIMES WITH COOKING LIQUIDS, LETTING THE JUICES "SET" EACH TIME, TO FORM A CRUNCHY BARK.
• WHEN RIBS ARE CRUNCHY TO YOUR PREFERENCE, REMOVE AND LET REST AT LEAST 15 MINUTES BEFORE SLICING OR SERVING.
FOR RIBS WITH SAUCE:
• BASTE A THIN LAYER OF YOUR FAVORITE BBQ SAUCE OVER RIBS, AND LET SET WHILE THEY COOK FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. SAUCE WILL BE STICKY, NOT RUNNY.
• REPEAT WITH ANOTHER THIN LAYER OF SAUCE, LETTING SET, UP TO 2 MORE TIMES.
• LET RIBS REST AT LEAST 15 MINUTES BEFORE SLICING OR SERVING.
Now crack open a beer and get smoking!
