BBQ Pork Ribs

Grilling, and pork.  BBQ, and pork.  Smoking food, and pork.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner, and pork.  Summer, spring, winter, fall, and pork.  Sustenance, and pork.  WHO AM I KIDDING, EVERYTHING AND PORK, PORK IS EVERYTHING, I LOVE PORK, WE WILL COOK AND EAT ALL THE PORK.

ahem.

Hi!  Let’s make some ribs.  It’s super easy!

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First things first — let’s discuss the different kinds of pork ribs.

Baby back ribs are very popular, and they come from the portion of the hog’s rib age that is nearest the spine.  That’s why they are called “back ribs.”  They are more curved than other sections of the ribcage, and are often pretty meaty.  Unless you live in a really BBQ-obssessed part of the country, these are probably what you get if you order pork ribs at a restaurant.  The popularity of baby back ribs causes their price to be usually higher per pound than other types of ribs.

Spare ribs are — and this is a super-simple explanation — the rest of the ribcage of the pig, the ribs that wrap down over the chest towards the belly.    The ribs are straighter, and the meat tends to be fattier than on the baby back ribs.  This, in my and many other cooks’ opinions, makes the spare ribs more flavorful and more tender than baby back ribs.  The spare rib rack includes some extra treats:  the skirt, and the rib tips.  The skirt is a flap of meat that is on the back of the rack, and the rib tips are a section of the rib rack that doesn’t really have any bones, but does have cartilage.  Both pieces of meat are delicious.

St. Louis ribs are the rack of spare ribs, but with the skirt and rib tips removed, so the rack of ribs is cut in a more uniform way.   Restaurants prepare them this way, as do some competition BBQ cooks, but I like all the meat to make it to the plate!

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I do trim the rib tips from the rack of spare ribs after I bring them home, but I usually leave the flap/skirt on.  I think that’s not standard, but it makes for some really big meaty ribs at one end of the rack.  In the above picture, we are looking at (half of) the wide end of the rack of spare ribs.  The skirt is attached to the back of this part of the rack, which is why it looks so thick.  To the left you can see I cut the rib tips off and set them aside, because I’mma cook ’em up!

Make whatever ribs you prefer, but now I’m going to gush on and on about pork spare ribs, because that’s what I cook.

A full rack of spare ribs weighs 5-6 pounds.  When I don’t have to make ribs for a house full of people, I like to make a half rack — but here’s a tip.  If you buy a full rack and ask your butcher to cut the slab of ribs lengthwise in half across the ribs, then you will have two long racks.  The shorter length of the ribs on the cut rack are much more convenient, in my opinion.  I think they also cook more evenly.  Bring home the two half racks and freeze one if you don’t need all 5 pounds of meat!  The ribs in the picture below are spare ribs cut in half across the ribs.  The “height” of these ribs, the length of the bones, in this shot is only half the length, and then I cut the rack in half myself to make two sections.   There are two FULL racks of spare ribs in this picture, which would be 8 sections.  Plus rib tips.

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Once you know how many ribs you’re cooking, the steps are easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Season the ribs with your favorite BBQ spice rub.  I use a homemade rub and if you’d like to try to make your own, the recipe is here.  Commercial rubs can be great, too.  Just find a blend of dry seasonings that you like, and use that.  Season both sides.  BOTH SIDES.

Some people like to take the membrane off the back side of the ribs.  Since the membrane is waterproof, it is also pretty much spice proof and smoke proof.  It’s an easy step, I just seem to have no consistency with regard to whether or not I pull it off.  I would definitely pull it off of baby backs, though.  Loosen one end of the membrane with a knife and using a paper towel for grip, just pull it off.  It should come off in one big piece.

Put the seasoned ribs in an airtight bag or container, and refrigerate them for at least a couple of hours (but overnight is better).  The salt in your rub will make some pork juice pool up in the container, and this is normal.

When it’s time to cook, take them out of the fridge.  If you have a smoker, read this part.  If you couldn’t care less about smoking your ribs, you can fast forward — I’ll get your attention when I’m done writing about my smoker!

I smoke my ribs for two hours at 250-275 with hickory and some kind of fruit wood.  If you are ever in the market for different wood for your smoker, I can recommend Upchurch, a vendor who is local to me but ships all kinds of smoker wood and firewood basically everywhere, and for free with purchase.

After two hours, I wrap them in foil and then leave them on the low fire for another two hours.  No sauce yet, that’s for the final step.  Wrapping them in foil keeps them from getting overly-smoked, and also helps them steam to be more tender.  You can add a splash of fruit juice or fruit nectar to the foil packet to give them some steaming liquid.

BAT SIGNAL, EMERGENCY FLARE, YOU CAN COME BACK NOW!

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If you don’t have a smoker, make your ribs either on the grill or in your oven.  Both methods are going to use indirect, dry heat to roast the ribs.  Roast the ribs in the oven on a rack, like a roasting rack, over a pan to catch the drips, or on your gas or charcoal grill on indirect heat, UNCOVERED.  No flames on these ribs!  We want them to get browned and gorgeous from dry heat.  After 2 hours at 250 -275 degrees, wrap them in foil and let them steam for another two hours.

Now, the steps are the same for everyone.  Take the ribs out of the foil and out them back on the rack of your smoker, grill, or the cooking rack in your oven.  Baste them with the BBQ sauce of your choice, a good, thick slather.  They should look smooth and glisteny.  Over that indirect heat, raise your temp to 350 and let them go like that for 15 minutes until the sauce/glaze starts to set.

Personally, I’m a doctorer.  I love to doctor up a good commercial sauce.  This week, I mixed the bottled sauce with some locally-made Sand Plum Jelly that I got at the farmers market.  I often have some apricot or peach jam (real, not sugar free) or maple syrup to add to the doctored concoction (cola works too!)  that I stir in to add to the gloss and caramelization of the racks, but also a great touch of sweetness.

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You’ve got ribs!

Cut them with a serrated knife, if you have one (I use a bread knife) and let your hungry army have at them!  Don’t forget to keep some for yourself, because they’re going to go fast.  Here’s rib tips:

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Lick your fingers and get the wet-naps, and give yourself a barbecue grin with sauce from ear to ear!  The only thing that would’ve made these better is if they were extra-flavorful and juicy heritage pastured pork from a local farm! (Psst: Double R Farms for the Okies!)