Few foods steal the show at a summer cookout like perfectly grilled ribs. While smoke-house quality ribs may seem like a luxury, our easy recipe makes it more than possible to enjoy this BBQ staple right at home. All it takes is a grill, a few hours, and—okay—a lot of patience, but the tender, caramelized ribs are more than worth it. Here’s everything you need to know:
Should I wrap my ribs in foil before grilling?
Yes! Wrap your ribs tightly in foil before placing on the grill and covering. After the 3 hours in foil and letting them rest, you’ll place them directly on the grill, but you’re going to want to cook them in foil for the first go around. This will not only keep them moist and tender, but will also help your ribs cook faster on the grill.
Top tips for grilling ribs:
— The best type of grill to use. For these ribs, a gas grill is ideal, since it'll give you a steady flame and unwavering temperature; however, a charcoal grill with a thermometer will work too. It'll just be slightly more challenging to maintain the temperature, but you'll get that extra smoky taste that makes ribs so great.
— Remove the membrane. For the juiciest ribs, remove the membrane before cooking. (The membrane is a thin layer of tissue attached to the underside of a rack of pork ribs.) You can ask your butcher to do this (or some packaged ribs from the grocery store might have the membrane already removed), but if you've already bought the ribs, no problem. Removing the membrane is simple. Slice into it (making a cut parallel to the bones) at one far end of your rack of ribs and pull it off in one piece.
How long do I grill ribs?
Depending on the size of your ribs and the heat of your grill, your ribs will probably take around 3 hours to cook on the grill. You’ll know your ribs are ready when you’re able to see bones protruding from the meat, and when the meat starts to become tender and easily pierced with a fork.
Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
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- Yields:
- 4 serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 15 mins
- Total Time:
- 3 hrs 30 mins
- Cal/Serv:
- 826
Ingredients
BBQ Sauce
- 1/2 c.
apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 c.
ketchup
- 1/2 c.
packed light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp.
garlic powder
- 1 tbsp.
smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp.
Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1 tsp.
freshly groundblack pepper
Ribs
- 1/4 c.
light brown sugar
- 1/4 c.
smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp.
kosher salt
- 1 tbsp.
garlic powder
- 1 tbsp.
ground cumin
- 1
(3 1/2- to 4-lb.) full rack baby back pork ribs, patted dry
Directions
BBQ Sauce
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, Worcestershire, salt, and black pepper. Cook, whisking often, until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool.
Ribs
- Step1In a small bowl, whisk brown sugar, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and cumin.
- Step2Heat one burner on your gas grill to low, or preheat to200°. (Or prep your charcoal grill with charcoal stacked on one side.) Place ribs on a large piece of foil and coat all sides with dry rub. Let sit 10 minutes, then tightly wrap in foil.
- Step3Place ribs bone side up on cooler side of grill and cover. After 1 1/2 hours, rotate ribs 180° and cook 1 1/2 hours more. (Make sure grill temperature does not exceed 200°.) Once they’ve cooked 3 hours total, you should be able to see bones protruding from meat when you peek inside foil. Remove ribs from grill and transfer to a large baking sheet. Open foil and let ribs rest 10 minutes.
- Step4Adjust grill to high heat, or preheat to about 450°. (Turn on all burners or add more coals and spread them out evenly.) Remove ribs from foil and place directly on grill. Using a pastry brush, generously baste with BBQ sauce. Flip rack and baste other side with sauce. It helps to have 2 sets of tongs (or a set of tongs and a spatula) to flip the rack.
- Step5Grill until sauce is caramelized and meat has visible grill marks, 1 to 3 minutes. Flip again and continue togrill until sauce on other side is caramelized, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Step6Let ribs cool 5 minutes. Slice and serve.
Lee Kalpakis
Contributing Recipe Developer
Lee Kalpakis is a professional cook and recipe developer living off-grid and building a home in the Catskill Mountains. Originally from the Hudson Valley, Lee spent several years in New York City working as a cooking show host, culinary producer, and private chef before the decision to return upstate to slow down a little. Now, she spends her time writing, hiking, fishing, making jam from local produce, and tackling any and every outdoor cooking project she can.
