| When I think of great barbecue ribs I'm thinking of | | | | the entire surface of the ribs, top and bottom. |
| "real" smoked barbecue. "Real" being the kind of ribs | | | | 3) Wrap the spice rubbed ribs in plastic wrap and |
| that have been rubbed down with spice and spent 3 | | | | refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours but preferably |
| or 4 hours on the smoker. You know... the kind that | | | | overnight. |
| have that smoky flavor and almost "fall off the | | | | 4) After marination let the ribs come to room |
| bone" tenderness. | | | | temperature before putting them on the smoker. |
| Most backyard cooks have trouble achieving that | | | | 5) Prepare your smoker by lighting the charcoal and |
| kind of perfection because they just don't know the | | | | letting the smoker temperature come to about 225 |
| proper cooking tips for getting great results. By | | | | degrees. If you have a kettle or some other direct |
| following the tips below the backyard cook can be | | | | grill just be sure to arrange the coals so that cooking |
| the hit of the barbecue event and become the | | | | is indirect instead of direct. |
| legend of the barbecue season. | | | | 6) You are going to need some wood chips or |
| For great ribs we assume that you are going to go | | | | chunks for the smoke so be sure to soak them in |
| the extra mile and cook them in a smoker. The best | | | | water for about an hour before using. |
| barbecue ribs are cooked over charcoal or | | | | 7) Put the ribs on the smoker bone side down. Add a |
| wood...sorry gas grill aficionados but gas can't | | | | couple of wood chunks to the fire to get the smoke |
| compare. Now keep in mind that a smoker can take | | | | going. |
| many forms and it does not have to be elaborate to | | | | 8) Cook the ribs over the charcoal for about 2 hours |
| get the job done. | | | | and then wrap them in foil. Add a little apple juice to |
| The main point is that to smoke you don't want to | | | | the foil and close. Don't wrap them too tightly. |
| put the ribs over direct heat where the temperature | | | | 9) Cook for about another hour to an hour and a |
| is too hot. A good smoke temperature is between | | | | half. You can tell when they are close to being done |
| 225 and 250 degrees. | | | | when the meat starts to pull away from the bone. |
| To get started let's begin with preparation of the | | | | 10) If you like to sauce your ribs when they're |
| ribs: | | | | cooking don't brush the sauce on until the last 15-20 |
| 1) Clean the ribs thoroughly and pat dry. Remove the | | | | minutes. Take them out of the foil, brush on the |
| "fell"....that thin membrane on the underside of the rib | | | | sauce, and place back on the smoker to let them |
| (concave side). Pry up a corner and take a paper | | | | glaze over. |
| towel to grab the edge and pull. | | | | 11) When done remove them from the smoker and |
| It pulls right off 90% of the time. If it doesn't just | | | | let them rest for 15 minutes. Slice the ribs along the |
| grab another corner and pull. | | | | bone into separate ribs pieces and serve. |
| 2) Sprinkle the ribs with your favorite rub and cover | | | | |