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"Staci's Cooking with Class"

How to BBQ Ribs

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Choose racks of ribs that are 1 3/4# - 2 1/4#. I like All Natural Ribs such as the ones sold by Danny's Meat Market in Racine. These do not contain a water solution bulking up their weight.

When you purchase your ribs, ask the butcher if they have been trimmed or if the membrane is still on the back of the rack. If the membrane is still on, ask the butcher to trim. If that is something they can't do for you--well, you can do it--it's easy!

First, lay your rack, meat side down, and locate the membrane at the small end of the rack. Hook it with a sharp knife and start lifting.

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Now, the membrane is slippery, so grab it with a paper towel and pull. It should come off in one sheet. Toss it!

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Rub the ribs, both sides, with a great BBQ Rub such as the fabulous "Sweet n' Tangy" Rub that is shown!

Shameless advertising aside (rub available at classes or at Danny's Meat Market in Racine), this really is a good rub and you can let the ribs marinate for 30 minutes to 24 hours. But, the seaoning truly is up to you. There are a million BBQ rubs available and you can also create your own!

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Place the ribs bone side down on a baking sheet and pour a beer or two under and around the ribs (not over--we don't want to wash off the rub).
We will steam the ribs in the oven for 1 1/2-2 hours or until the bones start to pop at the ends of the meat about 1/4". This will tenderize the ris and infuse them with the herby flavor of beer.

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Soak some wood chips such as oak or hickory in water during the time the ribs are in the oven. When ready to move to the grill, wrap the chips in foil and poke in 2-3 holes to release the smoke. Preheat your grill on high about 15 minutes before you move the ribs from the oven to the grill. Place your wood chips on while grill is preheating. When you see smoke billowing out, your grill is ready.

Wrap the pan tightly with foil and place the ribs in a 225 oven for about 1 1/2-2 hours. You are looking for the bone tips to start protruding from the meat by about 1/4". This tells us the ribs are done but not quite tender enough.

**Now its time to move them to the preheated and smoky grill.

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Place the ribs in a rib rack (if you have one--if not, they are available at my cooking classes or at Danny's Meat Market).
Rib Racks elevate the ribs and keep them from burning when too close to the flame.

You can see the foil packs of wood chips as well as a pan with liquid. The liquid is the beer from steaming the ribs. I place the liquid under the ribs to keep moisture in the grill and help to prevent overdrying of the meat.

The heat is not on under the ribs. We want to smoke/barbeque them with indirect heat; position your ribs between 2 burners if, possible, to create convection. You want a temperature between 250-300 (max). We will smoke the ribs for 1-1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the racks. To tell when they are done, the bone tips will be protruding about 1/2" and if you lift a rack it will sag easily.

If you want to sauce your ribs, remove them from the rib rack, and lay them on the grill directly over heat. Sauce both sides and grill just to carmelize sauce. This should be done only during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Rest the ribs for 10 minutes and then enjoy!