Tender and Succulent Rib Tricks

Here are some tips to make the most delicious ribs, in four easy steps. There are two types of BBQ ribs – the kind that stick to the bone and are tough and difficult to eat and the type that fall off the bone. If you like the latter, you need a bit of time and some planning, but it’s totally worth it. You can use this technique for pretty much any type of rib: lamb, beef, pork (it’s not necessary for baby back ribs though).

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1) Marinade

Place your ribs in a ziplock bag with a tasty marinade, and put in refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours (the longer the better). There’s a great marinade recipe for Kansas City-style Beef Ribs in one of my favorite cookbooks: Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style by one of the nation’s greatest chefs and WineSmarts fan, Mario Batali. 

2) Pre-Cooking

On the day of your BBQ, remove the ribs from the marinade and put them in a dish, covered (you can use a pot with a lid or cover with plastic wrap. Then cook the ribs at a very low heat (around 250 ºF) for 2 to 4 hours (don’t worry, you won’t melt the plastic wrap if you keep the temperature at 250 or lower). Some people like the simmer their ribs in water, which certainly does the trick, however if you aren’t careful the water can get too hot and your ribs will get very tough). Pre-cooking makes your tender and scrumptious and they’ll just fall off the bone. As far as timing goes, you can take your ribs straight from the oven to the grill or if you prefer, pre-cook them the day before and leave in the fridge.
 

(Note: if you use a Smoker, you can skip the pre-cooking and smoke for 4 to 6 hours)
 

3) Dry Rub (optional)

To add even more flavor to your ribs, a dry rub is a fantastic options. You can apply the rub either before the pre-cooking or right before you grill. There are lots of pre-made rubs out there or you can make your own with a combination of spices, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Rubs don’t burn as much as sticky BBQ sauces, and the rub helps the flavors penetrate into the meat.

4) Cook

The best part of BBQ ribs is the crisp and flavorful crust. Prepare your BBQ as you normally would (Mario has some great tips on how to turn your BBQ into a smoker) and start cooking up your ribs. Since you’ve been baking them all-day, you won’t need to cook them so long – perhaps 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re partial to sticky, yummy BBQ sauce, you can brush that on during the last couple of minutes of cooking (again, so your ribs don’t have black charring), or just put it in a dish so your guests can pour on their own.