When you first start grilling, you’re likely to start building your skills with steaks and other classics. You might even branch out with a rack of beef ribs. But once you’ve developed some experience with handling this kind of cooking, it’s time to think outside of the box.
Pork ribs are a great choice that are forgiving and easy to grill while wowing your guests with plenty of flavor and juiciness. There’s no need to use a smoker or specialty grill to get the results you want either. This guide will help you make pork ribs successfully from the start.
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Which Cut of Pork Ribs is Best?
Baby back ribs are the best when you’re cooking pork. These ribs have a good balance between fat and meat so they won’t dry out on the grill. Yet they’re lean enough that you won’t feel too greasy after eating them. St. Louis style ribs are a little greasy and tend to feature less meat. You will need to do less trimming if you choose baby back pork ribs.
There will be a thin silver membrane on the back of the ribs. You simply use a sharp and small knife to loosen the membrane around each rib, then use kitchen shears to snip off as much of it as possible. There’s no need to trim the meat or bones to prepare them for the grill, which is recommended if you choose St. Louis style ribs.
Boneless pork ribs are tasty as well, but they don’t actually come from the ribs. Instead, they’re chunks of shoulder roast trimmed into sections that resemble individual ribs. They are tasty and can be grilled with the right technique, but they’re not a replacement for baby back ribs in this recipe.
Dry Rub or Barbecue Sauce?
It’s a trick question because the best answer is both. You start with a dry rub to add flavor to the surface as the meat cooks, then you brush on your favorite barbecue sauce during the last stage of cooking. This ensures flavor throughout the meat while also giving you the sticky glaze you associate with ribs.
You may want to choose a salt-free or low salt rub to keep the ribs from turning out too salty in the end. There’s no need to brine or marinate the meat the night before cooking, allowing you to start making the ribs just an hour or two before you plan to eat them. You can mix up your own rub or use your favorite barbecue rub and toss on a bottled sauce.
Barbecue Sauce Variations
Classic tomato sauce and brown sugar barbecue sauce are a perfect complement to the flavors of these pork ribs. However, it’s not the only option for putting the finishing touches on this dish. Alabama white sauce is based on mayonnaise, but it also has vinegar in it for a tangy flavor. Kansas City barbecue sauce is tangy and has plenty of mustard flavor.
Vinegar-style barbecue sauce from North Carolina is a little tricky to apply, but it packs on the flavor without a lot of sugar or stickiness. You can also skip the sauce entirely and just enjoy the flavor of the dry rub if you prefer a drier texture to the surface of your ribs.
Best Cooking Method to Use
This recipe is based around the backyard grill, but it’s not your only option for cooking these ribs. The oven will also do a great job of giving them a tender texture and plenty of flavor. The key is wrapping the ribs in aluminum foil after you season them, then cooking them until they’re at the right temperature.
You unwrap the ribs and apply barbecue sauce at that point, letting the broiler of your oven thicken the sauce and finish the cooking. If you have an Instant Pot, you can also cook the ribs until they’re tender and then finish them with seasoning and sauce in the oven to cut down on the total cooking time.
Easy BBQ Pork Ribs Recipe
This pork ribs recipe gives you a chance to fire up the grill even when steak’s not on the menu. Mix up your rub and barbecue sauce combinations until you find your perfect duo.
Ingredients
- 2 racks of baby back pork ribs, membrane removed
- 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of onion powder
- 3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce
Instructions
1. Start the grill and let it come up to temperature. Take the ribs out of the refrigerator and let them come up to room temperature, which should take around 20 minutes. Trim off the membrane on the back if necessary.
2. Mix together the spices, brown sugar, and salt. Rub the mixture all over the surface of the ribs.
3. Place the ribs on the hot grill, meat side down. Close the grill and cook the ribs for about 45 minutes.
4. Brush the ribs with barbecue sauce and flip them. Brush the top as well, then cook bone-side down for around 10 minutes. Check the meat and remove it when the internal temperature is 200 degrees F.
5. Cover lightly with foil and let the ribs rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Conclusion
Try cooking up racks of both pork and beef ribs to compare the differences and find your favorite. You may just decide that you enjoy both types equally, leaving you free to pick whichever is on sale at the time. Try moving your cooking efforts indoors by experimenting with the Instant Pot and oven method of making great pork ribs without firing up the grill.
Easy BBQ Pork Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back pork ribs, membrane removed
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 cups of your favorite barbeque sauce
Instructions
- Start the grill and let it come up to temperature. Take the ribs out of the refrigerator and let them come up to room temperature, which should take around 20 minutes. Trim off the membrane on the back if necessary.
- Mix together the spices, brown sugar, and salt. Rub the mixture all over the surface of the ribs.
- Place the ribs on the hot grill, meat side down. Close the grill and cook the ribs for about 45 minutes.
- Brush the ribs with barbecue sauce and flip them. Brush the top as well, then cook bone-side down for around 10 minutes. Check the meat and remove it when the internal temperature is 200 degrees F.
- Cover lightly with foil and let the ribs rest for about 10 minutes before serving.