How do you like your ribs? WET or Dry?

Ladeback69

I prefer my ribs dry with just the rub for flavor and sauce on the side in I chose to. I have sauced them before, but it is just to messy to me and I like the flavor of the rib meat with just the rub I used. I was just wondering after a rib class I just had. I know that ribs get sauced during competitions, but this question is about what is your personal preference. :-/

lousubcap

+1 with dry ribs.  I offer sauce on the side (or will sauce a rack at the end of a cook) if I know that's the guest preference.

gamason

Yes! I l like ribs. Wet/dry who cares. Give me ribs. Yum, yum!!!

Phatchris

Depends on my mood and my guests...

ksmyrl

Personally...for me, I like em a little wet. Not sloppy and dripping in sauce, but a little sauce at the end that has caramelized...mmm I'm getting hungry.

Skiddymarker

I like a dry rib, SWMBO likes sauced ribs, but then she grew up in a household where ribs were slow cooked into oblivion and you had to pick up each rack with at least two sets of tongs, treating it like a spent fuel rod from the crock pot nuclear reactor. It was so fall off the bone, just moving the rack resulted in what looked more like pulled pork than ribs. Often the sauce was just dumped into the pot to coat everything. 

I split each rack in half, fits better on the MBGE and she gets her half sauced for the last hour while mine continues to season the bark. 

DMW

Yes.

Woody

I think it is all personal taste.

But, I like my ribs, brisket, butts simply dry rubbed.  If done right with a rub you like, this method lets the flavor of the meat come through.  I think the sauces tend to mute/cover up the flavor of the meat and rub.

+1 on the saucing for the SWMBO and son.

jcaspary

I prefer wet but if there is no sauce I won't ask for it either.  Both will be cleaned to the bone.

Bojangles

I always do some of both, and end up eating both kinds.... and can't seem to stop devouring.

Legume

I usually start out shooting for dry and if they miss the mark in some way, I sauce them, but mostly just as a glaze at the end, not in foil.

Foghorn

Legume said:

I usually start out shooting for dry and if they miss the mark in some way, I sauce them, but mostly just as a glaze at the end, not in foil.

This. 

Sauce is a good equalizer, but if I can achieve great dry ribs (maybe 50% of the time) that is my preference. 

smokeyj

I like dry but usually sauce half the rack just to try different sauces and have a different taste.

blind99

Legume said:

I usually start out shooting for dry and if they miss the mark in some way, I sauce them, but mostly just as a glaze at the end, not in foil.

Dinosaur BBQ in Buffalo does an awesome job of getting the ribs glazed.  it's like a coat of sauce laquer, if that makes any sense.  they're my favorite.

Zmokin

ksmyrl said:

Personally...for me, I like em a little wet. Not sloppy and dripping in sauce, but a little sauce at the end that has caramelized...mmm I'm getting hungry.

I may like 'em wetter than you, but for me the key is "caramelized".  I like mine sticky and finger licking good.  Saucing afterwards just isn't as good as carmelized sauce for my taste pallet.

fishlessman

back when you could buy happy pappy sauce i liked to pour it in a plate and lay my cut spares cut side down in the sauce and drag them thru it cut side only. it wouldnt ruin the bark that way
mostly i like them dry but a local butcher nearby makes a honey habanaro sauce thats killer

mwatts

With 2 little ones running around, dry ribs work best for us (Less clean up) But we attempt sauced ribs when we feel froggy.

Legume

blind99 said:

Legume said:

I usually start out shooting for dry and if they miss the mark in some way, I sauce them, but mostly just as a glaze at the end, not in foil.

Dinosaur BBQ in Buffalo does an awesome job of getting the ribs glazed.  it's like a coat of sauce laquer, if that makes any sense.  they're my favorite.

Sounds good indeed.  Also agree with @Zmokin that caramelization is key.  Someone posted recently about a line of sauces called rib candy that are meant to be used as a late glaze.  I need to find that and try it, I think they had 10+ flavors that were all pretty unique.

Legume

found it.  http://texaspepperjelly.com/texas-rib-candy/

anyone try this yet?

blind99

I cooked ribs about 6 times this summer, and tried glazing them with slightly thinned sauce at the end of the cook.  Never got the same finish as dinosaur, but that's why they are pros and I'm not.  I was just looking around a little more and saw the caramelization temperatures of difference sugars on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caramelization#Effects_on_caramelization and on amazing ribs.  Most caramelize significantly hotter temps than I'm cooking ribs, whereas fructose is below. 

The rib candy sounds really good.

JRWhitee

Dry for me.

shtgunal3

I prefer dry but wet ribs have their place too.

XC242

Dry.

HendersonTRKing

One rack dry for those who know what's what and one rack wet for the heathens.  Daddy's happy, Mommy's happy.  (And we don't make too many snide comments bc we're too busy eating.)

Dobie

If I happen to order them out, dry so I can pick my sauce. If I'm the cook then mine are served.  sauced.

Tjcoley

Dry for me.

Gman2

I prefer dry but cook both for the crowd!!!

SloppyJoe

I like my ribs the same way I like my women..... Hoooah

DMW

SloppyJoe said:

I like my ribs the same way I like my women..... Hoooah

Controlling and manipulative? Wait, I shouldn't have said that...WTH, go see the What are you drinking now thread for explanation....  >:)

SGH

I like them either way. I love ribs across the board. Wet or dry, bring them on brother. The more the better.

GATABITES

both. sauced with a char, even better