Barbecued Ribs
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 28, 2013
Time
5½ to 6½ hours, plus 1 hour marinating and 30 minutes resting
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
The longer you leave the ribs with the spice rub the better (we recommend up to 2 days) their flavor, so try to plan ahead. We suggest homemade barbecue sauce, but if you're short on time, Bull's-Eye is the test kitchen favorite among supermarket brands. This recipe uses the oven, as well as a charcoal grill.
Instructions
- Combine paprika, sugar, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in bowl. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and rub with spice mixture. Wrap meat tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 48 hours. Using large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in foil, crimp to make packet, and cut several vent holes in top.
- Open bottom vent halfway. Light large chimney starter three-quarters full with charcoal briquettes (4 1/2 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour into steeply banked pile against one side of grill. Place wood chip packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Unwrap ribs and place, meat side down, on cool part of grill (ribs may overlap slightly). Place sheet of aluminum foil on top of ribs. Cover, positioning lid vent over meat, and cook until ribs are deep red and smoky, about 2 hours, flipping and rotating racks halfway through grilling. During last 20 minutes of grilling, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees.
- Remove ribs from grill, brush with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and wrap tightly with foil. Place foil-wrapped ribs on rimmed baking sheet and bake until tender and fork inserted into meat meets no resistance, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Rest ribs, still wrapped, for 30 minutes. Unwrap and brush with 1 cup sauce. Slice meat between bones and serve with remaining 1 cup sauce.
Time
5½ to 6½ hours, plus 1 hour marinating and 30 minutes restingYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
We found that St. Louis spareribs were the easiest variety to work with for this Barbecued Ribs recipe. The secret to achieving the best flavor is in the spice rub. We found the longer we left it on the ribs, the better they tasted. The effect was best over the course of several days. Starting the barbecued ribs on the grill and finishing them in the oven prevented them from drying out in the intense heat of the grill.
Before You Begin
The longer you leave the ribs with the spice rub the better (we recommend up to 2 days) their flavor, so try to plan ahead. We suggest homemade barbecue sauce, but if you're short on time, Bull's-Eye is the test kitchen favorite among supermarket brands. This recipe uses the oven, as well as a charcoal grill.
Instructions
- Combine paprika, sugar, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in bowl. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and rub with spice mixture. Wrap meat tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 48 hours. Using large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in foil, crimp to make packet, and cut several vent holes in top.
- Open bottom vent halfway. Light large chimney starter three-quarters full with charcoal briquettes (4 1/2 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour into steeply banked pile against one side of grill. Place wood chip packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes.
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Unwrap ribs and place, meat side down, on cool part of grill (ribs may overlap slightly). Place sheet of aluminum foil on top of ribs. Cover, positioning lid vent over meat, and cook until ribs are deep red and smoky, about 2 hours, flipping and rotating racks halfway through grilling. During last 20 minutes of grilling, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees.
- Remove ribs from grill, brush with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and wrap tightly with foil. Place foil-wrapped ribs on rimmed baking sheet and bake until tender and fork inserted into meat meets no resistance, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Rest ribs, still wrapped, for 30 minutes. Unwrap and brush with 1 cup sauce. Slice meat between bones and serve with remaining 1 cup sauce.
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