Ribs are tough cuts of meat that require long, gentle cooking to become tender. To help them achieve this, cook them over indirect heat.
Set your gas grill to low or prepare your charcoal grill for indirect cooking. Unwrap the ribs and season liberally with your dry rub (I like cayenne, brown sugar, mustard powder, salt, pepper). Cover and grill for about an hour.
1. Prep the Ribs
Before you even fire up the grill, you’ll want to do a little prep work. First, you’ll want to remove the membrane (or silver skin) that runs along the back side of the ribs. This thin sheet-like layer is completely safe to eat, but it can make the meat unpleasantly tough and chewy. It’s easy enough to get rid of – just work a paring knife under one end and gently peel it away from the bone.
Once you’ve done that, rub down both sides of the ribs with your dry rub and season well. I use a mixture of brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder and salt to give them a delicious smoky flavor.
Next, coat the ribs in your favorite barbecue sauce. Again, I like to mix up a simple homemade version, but feel free to use your favorite brand of store-bought sauce. Once you’ve coated the ribs in sauce, cover with foil and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
While the ribs are marinating, you’ll be able to prepare some veggies and set up your grill for cooking. Depending on the size of your ribs, and the heat of your grill, it will probably take about 3 hours to cook them to tenderness. To test whether or not the ribs are ready, stick a probe thermometer into the center of the rib bone and see if it comes out easily.
2. Marinate
For ribs that are fall off the bone tender, you need to cook them low and slow. To help with this, the ribs are first marinated in a rub. This is a combination of spices that adds a ton of flavor. It’s easy enough to create your own, or you can use one of the recipes below. Then, the ribs are cooked on the grill at a very low temperature. This method will result in ribs that are very moist and full of flavor.
Before you marinate the ribs, you’ll want to remove the membrane on the underside of the meat. This is a thin layer that can be slippery and tough, but it’s also very easy to get rid of. Simply run a knife underneath one corner and then use your hands to gently pull it away.
Once you’ve done this, prepare a large piece of foil to wrap the ribs in. This will help keep the moisture in and prevent flare-ups on the grill.
Pour your marinade over the ribs and turn to coat evenly. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 30-60 minutes, or refrigerate overnight for maximum flavor.
When ready to grill, reduce the gas heat to a very low setting and place the ribs on the cooler side of the grill (away from the coals, if using a charcoal grill). Cover and cook until the meat is very tender and begins to pull away from the bones or when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads between 190 and 203 degrees F. Once cooked, brush with a little barbecue sauce and enjoy.
3. Cook on the Grill
Now that the ribs have marinated for about an hour, they’re ready to hit the grill. The first step is to preheat your clean grill to indirect medium heat. Next, place your ribs on the grill meat side down for one hour. Then, remove the ribs from the grill and wrap them in aluminum foil. Before sealing the foil, add a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the foil — this will tenderize the ribs even more and help prevent them from burning. Cook the ribs in the foil for another hour.
When the ribs are cooked, unwrap them and coat with your favorite barbecue sauce. Slather on the sauce in a thick layer and cook them again, allowing the ribs to caramelize and soak up all of that delicious sauce. It’s best to wait until the ribs are almost done cooking before adding the sauce, otherwise it may burn or char.
You can tell the ribs are done when the meat is tender and pulls away from the bone, the ends of the bones are exposed (a little bit of a ‘reverse sear’ is good), and they’ve reached an internal temperature of 190°F or higher. The ribs are also usually tender enough to bend in the middle when picked up with tongs. They’re so tender that they might be a bit fragile, so handle them with care.
4. Serve
You can grill just about anything but ribs require long, gentle cooking to become tender. They’re best cooked in the oven, braise, or even in a slow cooker before being finished on the grill to add a great smokey char.
To prepare the ribs for grilling, first rub them with your spice mixture and massage it into both sides. If you can, refrigerate them overnight with the dry rub to allow the flavors to penetrate deeper into the meat.
Once the ribs are coated and prepared, wrap each rack in heavy-duty foil. Place on the grill bone-side down in an area with indirect heat (or turn your grill off one burner, if you use gas). Close and cook until very tender, when the meat easily pulls away from the bones and an instant-read thermometer reads 180 to 190 degrees F, about 2 hours.
Remove the ribs from the foil and brush with barbecue sauce. Return to the grill and cook, turning and basting with sauce, until a nice char forms on each side. Serve with extra BBQ sauce if desired.
