Ribs 101: Baby Back Perfection
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- 02 September, 2015
When you fantasize about a good plate of
BBQ, you’d have to imagine that a big portion of the plate would be filled with succulent baby back ribs. The tender meat, the smoky flavor, the sticky sauce…it’s enough to get your mouth watering just thinking about it!
Many people think that it takes a lot of preparation, a ton of hard work, and a little bit of magic to produce ribs that are worthy of praise. True, it does take some time and some prep to make good ribs at home, but the magic part will take care of itself. Take the leap and venture in to the world of making your own baby back ribs.
Buying and Prepping the Meat
When buying your ribs, look for a rack that is meaty and full, at least an inch thick. At home, trim any silvery skin from the meaty side of the rack. Flip the rack over and remove the membrane that covers the bones by wedging a butter knife or other semi-blunt object between the membrane and the bone. Once you loosen the membrane, grab the end with a paper towel and peel the whole thing off. Next, get a good meat rub in the flavor of your choice and cover the ribs on the ends and both sides. A good rub is imperative because it’s going to seal in the juices and flavor the meat at the same time. BBQ BROS has a good Kansas City style as well as a Memphis rub that would work well in this process. Meat can rest in the rub for an hour up to overnight.
Cooking
The best way to cook ribs is low and slow. This is where the magic happens! For a charcoal grill, you want an indirect heat. Place your coals over one half of the grill and leave the other half empty. Your meat will be placed over the side without coals so that the smoke and heat can get to them, but the flame can’t. Ideally, the temperature of your grill should remain at around 250 degrees for the time it takes to cook the ribs. Plan on a good 3 – 4 hours for cook time, depending on the number of racks you make and the size of the rack. Two or more racks can take up to 6 hours, so plan accordingly.
Check and Mop
During the cooking process, you should mop your ribs every hour with a good BBQ mop to keep them moist. A simple mop would be 1 cup apple juice, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons good BBQ sauce, 2 tablespoons butter. You also want to check your temperature to make sure you are staying near 250 and you’ll want to keep adding a 3-5 coals every hour to keep the temperature consistent.
Finish it Up
In the last hour, swab your rack with a good BBQ sauce and let it finish up. When your ribs are ready, your meat will have receded and you will see about a quarter-inch of bone sticking out at the ends of the rack. Remove them from the grill and cover with foil for at least 15 minutes, up to a half-hour. This lets the juices settle and keeps the meat moist. Cut into slabs, pass out the wet wipes, and enjoy!
When you fantasize about a good plate of BBQ, you’d have to imagine that a big portion of the plate would be filled with succulent baby back ribs. The tender meat, the smoky flavor, the sticky sauce…it’s enough to get your mouth watering just thinking about it! Many people think that it takes a lot of preparation, a ton of hard work, and a little bit of magic to produce ribs that are worthy of praise. True, it does take some time and some prep to make good ribs at home, but the magic part will take care of itself. Take the leap and venture in to the world of making your own baby back ribs.
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