Ribs

One of the best things to cook on a smoke is ribs. Whenever I serve them at a BBQ, they are gone is seconds! Paired with chicken wings make the most incredible outdoor eating experience.

Once you've mastered the rib cook, you'll never look back. It's fairly easy to get the hang of.

It's all in the prep.

The main effort required is to prepare the ribs. One thing I learned from the many videos and tutorials is removing a thing called the membrane.

This thin layer of tough skin sits on the 'bone' side of the rib rack. (If you turn over a rack of ribs you'll see a shiny smooth layer over the bones.).

To remove it, you'll need,

1) Kitchen roll.

2) A spoon or spreading knife.

3) A clean surface such as chopping board or worktop.

Flip the ribs onto the meat side, with the bones facing up toward you.

Slide the handle of a tea spoon or spreading knife along the expose bone of a rib. (I usually go for one rib in from the end of the rack.)

You should be able to feel a rubbery like resistance along the bone. Try and get the spoon/knife under the edge of this membrane along the bone. It will slowly lift up, peeling away from the bone.

Grab the edge of the membrane using a sheet of kitchen roll, and continue to peel as much of the membrane as you can. 

(Don't worry if you don't get it all clean off, as long as you've got most of it).

Rub your Ribs!

Next you'll want to add some flavouring. There are lots of different spices, flavours and methods to this. 

My own favourite is to smother the ribs on both sides with Yellow American Mustard. Then dust the whole rack with a specialist rub that I've bought (finding and buying these can be a hobby in itself, and the subject of a future blog post).

Alternatively you can make your own. I have found that cheap supermarket own brand BBQ sauce with added brown sugar, and paprika creates a rich smothering sauce.

Some people like just a generous covering of sea salt and cracked pepper. 

Get creative and experiment. It's all part of the fun.

Low and Slow cooking.

Whilst it is possible to grill ribs using the old fashioned BBQ method, cooking slowly over an indirect heat creates a more tender meat and smokey flavour.

The techniques used for this are varied. Some use a 'rib hanging' method in a large smoker or drum. Others use a kettle BBQ (such as a weber mastertouch) with longer charcoal burn set up.

However they are cooked, the idea is to keep the temperature around 200 - 250⁰f over the course of 4-6hrs. 

One method I have found to work well is the 3-2-1 method.

Here's how it works...

3-2-1

The first stage is about 3 hrs of cooking.

The prepared ribs are placed into the smoker/kettle at 200-250⁰f placed meat side up.

It's a good idea to use a digital thermometer to keep track of temperature. 

It's a case of getting things set up and leaving alone for as long as you can stand. It's really hard not to lift the lid or open the BBQ every 15mins to check what's happening, but that leads to temperature spikes and troughs, which can spoil the cook. 

Be patient and relax. 

After 3 hrs you will notice a few things. Meat will smell amazing, there will be a layer of solid rendering of fatty meaty goodness around the edges of the ribs, and the bones will protrude more as the meat cooks.

Stage 2 - The wrap.

To tenderise the rib meat, I like to wrap the ribs in foil along with butter, some garlic or honey. Make sure you use two or three layers of foil and seal it up like a little package. The juice and butter will continue to cook the meat.

Place your wrapped ribs back on the grill to continue to cook slowly for another 2 hours.

Try not to open the lid for about 1hr 30mins. This will keep the temperature stable.

Last stage.

Carefully remove the foil and place the ribs back onto the grill.

(By this time the meat will be very tender so be careful to support the rack as you put it back on.)

Then smother the ribs in your chosen sauce using a basting brush. 

(I use either home made BBQ sauce, Chinese marinade or Bourbon marinade.)

You'll need to check them about every 20mins to avoid them burning or overcooking. It's a good idea to keep reapplying flavour regularly.

Once you think they are done, take them off the grill and allow to stand for 5-10 mins to rest at room temp.

There are lots of videos, tutorials, and methods online. The best part of cooking ribs is experimenting. Don't worry if it's not perfect every time. Even the cooks that go wrong still taste delicious.