Expert: Whitestag - 5/20/2005

Question
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Followup To
Question -
hello - I have a standard backyard propane grill, and I want to prepare a dinner of BBQ ribs for 5 people - can you tell me how to do this from start (buying the food) to finish? Thanks!
Answer -
A bit of clarification -- is your gas grille set up to allow you to heat up one side (left or right) at a time?

yes, thanks!

Answer
OK, I'm assuming that you want to do real, slow-cook bbq.  I have never cooked either pork or beef ribs (we don't eat pork, and I've never gotten around to cooking beef ribs), but the general principles are the same as for other bbq, so we'll work along those lines.  The key to good bbq is to let the meat cook s-l-o-w-l-y, so it won't get tough.  I'd recommen trying this for your immediate family before doing it with guests, since a bit of practice makes perfect -- I ruined two or three briskets before I got the technique just right.

I'll start by referring you to an excellent web site with pretty comprehensive instructions.  I used this site to learn how to bbq beef brisket with great results, so I have no qualms about sending you to it.  Here it is:

 http://www.barbecuen.com/champ-ribs.htm

Read this document thoroughly (especially the first section) before you purchase the meat.

You'll have two basic preparation concerns with ribs:

1. Strip the membrane
2. Trim the fat

The site above gives instructions on how to do this.

For seasoning, you'll want to use a dry rub or a low-sugar mopping sauce.  I've used the mustard and dry rub technique described in the above site to good effect, so I strongly recommend it.  The thing that you don't want to do is slather the raw ribs with some kind of bbq sauce -- it will burn and render the ribs inedible.  You can purchase prepared rubs or make your own.  If you make your own, make sure you use coarse salt (usually sold as kosher salt) -- it works a whole lot better than table salt.  Let the meat get warmer than refrigerator temperature -- it will cook more evenly if it's close to room temperature when you put it on the grille.  Since you're cooking for five people, I would guess that your grill won't be big enough for you to lay all the meat flat.  Get some rib racks (I've seen them at most places that sell quality bbq equipment, from Home Depot to large home and garden centers).  Rib racks allow you to set up the ribs "on edge", with the tips of the ribs pointing up, so you'll be able to make better use of your space.

Setting up your grille:

Make a tray out of heavy duty foil, place it on the lava rocks on one side of your grille, and fill it with about an inch of water.  Take a pound or so coarse wood chips (the powdery kind is NOT what you want) and soak them in water for at leat 30 minutes.  Hickory is the classic wood for pork, but almost any fruit or nut wood will do -- I smoke beef with oak, and I've used maple, apple, and cherry with chicken to good effect.  And you can combine woods, if you want.  Experiment and take notes.  Put an oven thermometer on the grilling surface above the foil tray.  Remove the grilling surface from the other side of the grille and start up the gas on medium to low.  Play around with the gas level until you get a temperature of about 200-220 at the grilling surface.  If your grille has a built-in thermometer, ignore it -- it's probably built into the lid, where the temperature will be 25 to 30 degrees higher.  Wrap up the pre-soaked chips in a double layer of heavy duty foil (make it into a pillow shape -- about 10" square) and punch some holes in the top of the pillow.  Place the pillow on the lava rocks on the other side of the grille and wait a few minutes for the grill to fill with smoke.

Cooking:

Arrange the ribs in the racks on the grilling surface, shut the lid, and go spend time on other projects for the next several hours.  Every 40 minutes or so, you'll want to move the ribs around, since some parts of your grille wil be hotter than others, and you'll need to add more water to the foil tray from time to time.  Monitor the temperature and make sure that it stays in the 200-220 range.  You won't need to replace the wood chips.  After several hours, the meat will begin pull back from the ends of the ribs.  This is your signal that they're almost done.  Reduce the heat and slather on your finishing sauce.  This is where you would use what most folks call bbq sauce.

Serving:

You can, of course, serve the ribs whole, or you can cut them into individual riblets for your guests.  Your call on what you think they'd like best.

Happy grilling!