How to BBQ Ribs

Pork ribs are one of the most often grilled meats. There are many different ways to barbecue ribs, but people still have trouble getting the perfect ribs. This is because they do not cook them long enough or they overcook them. When you begin cooking ribs, it is important to keep them away from direct heat.

Depending on where you are from, some people like to sauce their ribs and others only like to place a dry rub on them. No matter how you choose to season your ribs, they are always delicious and ridiculously tender, if done correctly. The trick to getting your ribs tender is to cook them low and slow.

For this article, we will be using a charcoal grill.

Preparing Your Ribs

Before you begin heating up your grill, pull out your ribs to be prepped.

You will want to start out by cutting off any tissue that is on the ribs. After you have cut off the tissue, rinse off the ribs with cold water. Once the ribs are rinsed, pat them off with a clean paper towel.

Season your ribs with any rub or marinade of your choice. Make sure to rub the seasoning in well. Place the ribs on a plate and cover with foil. Allow them to refrigerate for 1 hour.

Prepping the Grill

While the meat is marinating, you will need to let the wood chunks you are using soak in water for 30 minutes prior to grilling. You can choose any type of wood chunks you want, but the most common is mesquite.

Once the wood chips are done soaking, you will want to go ahead and start preheating your grill with your charcoals.

When the charcoals are an ashy white color, move them to one side of the grill. Place 3 of your wood chunks on top of the charcoals. On the other side of the grill, place an aluminum pan with 1 inch of water in it, next to the coals. You now have a source of direct heat and indirect heat.

Barbecuing the Ribs

Remove your ribs from the refrigerator and prepare to barbecue them.

Place the meat on the side of the grill where there are no charcoals. Make sure to place the ribs meat side up. (This is important because it will make for juicier meat.)

Allow the ribs to cook for 90 minutes. After the 90 minutes pass, flip them and continue cooking them for another 90 minutes.

Cooking your ribs will depend on how hot the grill is and also how crowded you have your grill. It is best to estimate about 90 minutes per pound.

Remove your ribs from the grill and allow to cool.

(If you plan on using a barbecue sauce, you will want to baste your ribs every 30 minutes with the sauce to ensure a delicious flavor)

How to BBQ Ribs