Rib Experts

Unknown · May 2007

Some of you rib experts I would like to cook some spare ribs direct and have them done in not over three hours. You guys and gals have any good advice
Thanks

stike · May 2007

okiesmokie,
you can certainly "cook" them in three hours, but you won't get the breakdown/tenderness you are hoping for. that's ok though, if you want a quick fix.[p]you'll need higher temps than 250, perhaps 300/325, even 350.[p]if you go direct, at those temps, that will be GRILLING, and that's pretty much how probably 90% of backyard gasser-grillers do their ribs. ...just don't expect tender flopping 'true' smoked ribs.[p]you may want to try a an hour of smoke at 250/300, then foiled for an hour and a half (with a braising liquid), then a half hour to an hour of direct, at perhaps as high as 350.[p]you'll drive the lo-and-slo aficionados crazy, but if you are bound and determined to have ribs in only three hours, what can you say?![p]again, though, they'll be cooked, but not nearly as tender.

thirdeye · May 2007

<p />stike,[p]What's a tender flop?? Anything like a tender tear? [p]~thirdeye~

Brian · May 2007

okiesmokie,[p]If you can do 3 things , you'll assure yourself of the best-possible "grilled" ribs:[p]* DO- Soak some wood chunks in water for 3-4 hours prior to grilling and get them in the coals.
* DO- Use some kind of water pan underneath your ribs( I know the BGE folks will say you don't need it, but at that heat, you will)
* DO- Get some apple cider and spritz the ribs every 45 mins. [p]Cooking that hot on direct heat dries meat out, even in the BGE...But you can have great ribs...better than most folks will ever eat at a restaurant....even at 325 for 3 hrs.[p]One other suggestion is to put a good dry rub on them. At 325, you'll really get the brown sugar to carmelize on the ribs which will help make great flavor offset less-than-optimal tenderness.[p]

Brian · May 2007

thirdeye,[p]Woof! Now that's what I'm talkin about!!![p]

Midnight Smoker · May 2007

okiesmokie,[p]you can have the best of both worlds by using the 1-1-1 method. first hour cook the ribs, indirect, at 375 degrees. gives nice smoke flavor and smoke ring.[p]second hour, foil them up, add some liquid, and put them on the egg at the same temp (375). gets them falling off the bone tender.[p]third hour (really much less than that), you take them outta the foil and firm them up and/or carmamelzie the sauce by cooking them direct, and flipping them often.[p]so, in 3 hours, you'll have great tender ribs that are hard to distinguish from the 5 or 6 hour version.[p]

fishlessman · May 2007

okiesmokie,
if you're going direct at a higher temp, you need to raise the grill and stand then in a rack, flip them every 45 minutes and dont use a sugary rub. a better choice would be riblets which take 1.75 to 2 hours at 275 on a rasied grill, and an even better choice would be to buy a whole country rib roast (the fatty side of the loin with ribs attached) and remove the bones leaving a good amount of meat and fat on them for the cook. ill be cooking one tonight for the ribs and the loin will cook next to it for tomorrows sandwiches. when cooking direct, only fill the egg partway, you want as little lump in there as will cook the 3 hours and not much more. you need to make an educated guess with this, you want maximum distance between the meat and the fire.

JSlot · May 2007

I think what you want is JJ's original method. The man is gone, but his method lives on. It produces some of the best ribs, but it takes near constant attention and grid space limits the amount you can cook, unless you use multiple grids, which detracts from the product, IMHO. It's really pretty simple. Cook your ribs direct and flat on the grid at ~250° dome temp and flip every 15-20 minutes. Don't let the dome temp get above ~270° or you might get some scorching, especially if you use a sugary rub as others have mentioned. In addition to flipping, rotate the grid 180° every other time you flip the ribs. Your ribs will develop a nice, crusty exterior and a moist interior. They will be done in 2½-3 hours. If you want 'em wet, sauce 'em up at the end of the cook for 5-10 minutes.[p]For the record, this method works best with spares. Babybacks tend to dry out a good deal quicker. I use this method at least once a month when only cooking one or two slabs.[p]Good luck and let us know how it goes![p]Jim

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