RIBS

SLOW COOKER BBQ RIBS.

Ingredients

1-3 slabs of back ribs (3 pork back slabs are shown in the picture)

1 can / bottle of Coke or Dr. Pepper (I used a bottle for my 3 slabs)

Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce (or one of your choosing)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

Place ribs in a circular way to fill your slow cooker. Pour soda/pop over ribs, sprinkle salt & pepper over ribs - cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours. Empty liquid from the slow cooker. Pour a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce (or bbq sauce of your choice) over ribs and cook on HIGH for an additional 1 hour.

Be super careful when removing ribs from the slow cooker -

CHAMPIONSHIP SPARERIBS

4 racks spareribs, each 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds
3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
5 fist-sized hickory wood chunks
Rib rub (recipe below)
Rib sauce (recipe below)
How to make it:
Prepare your smoker to 225° to 250°F.  Place the spareribs, meaty side up, on a cutting board. Follow the line of fat that separates the meaty ribs from the much tougher tips at the base of each rack, and cut off the tips. Turn each rack over. Cut off the flap of meat attached in the center of each rack. Also cut off the flap of meat that hangs below the shorter end of each rack of ribs (Note: Depending on the ribs you buy, all this may already be done). Lift and loosen the membrane until it breaks, then grab a corner of it with a paper towel and pull it off. Season the spareribs all over with the rub, putting more of the rub on the meaty sides than on the bone sides. In a small spray bottle, combine 3/4 cup apple juice and 1/4 cup cider vinegar. Add two of the wood chunks to the charcoal. Smoke the spareribs, bone side down, with the lid close, until the meat has shrunk back from the bones at least 1/2 inch, 4 to 5 hours. After each hour, add more lit briquettes as necessary to maintain the heat, add one more wood chunk to the charcoal (until they are gone), and spray the ribs on both sides with the apple juice mixture. When the spareribs are done, remove them from the smoker. Brush the racks on both sides with the sauce and wrap each rack in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Return the foil-wrapped racks to the smoker. Continue to cook, with the lid closed, until the meat is tender enough to tear with your fingers, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the spareribs from the smoker and lightly brush the racks on both sides with sauce again. Cut the racks into individual ribs. Serve warm with the remaining sauce on the side.
Championship Rib Rub
3 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp ancho chile powder
2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated garlic
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground black pepper
In a medium bowl mix together all the ingredients.
Championship Rib Sauce
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup yellow mustard
2 Tbsp molasses
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the flavors are well combined, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reserve.

SMOKED RIBS USING THE 3-2-1 METHOD

2 racks of pork ribs
1 cup of Steve’s BBQ rub
½ cup beer or apple juice
1½ cups BBQ sauce
Peel the membrane off the back of each rack of ribs. Generously rub the BBQ spice rub all over the ribs.
These are directions to smoke the ribs in a smoker.Set the smoker to 225F and use your wood of choice (I use hickory and apple most often). Place the ribs in the smoker and smoke for 3 hours if they are spareribs and 2 hours if they are back ribs. After the ribs have been in the smoker for 3 hours, take them out and wrap each rack with aluminum foil. Pour a ¼ cup of beer or apple juice with each rack of ribs. Fold over the foil and pinch all the edges to ensure that it is sealed well to allow steaming. If your smoker can function as an oven (like Bradley smokers) place the ribs wrapped in foil back in the smoker for another 2 hours. It is also possible to use an oven for this stage. Have it set for 225F and bake them for 2 hours. After these 2 hours, remove the ribs carefully from the foil. Generously coat the ribs in your favourite BBQ sauce. Put them back in the smoker set for 225F for 1 final hour. It is also possible to use the oven for this stage. Directions to smoke the ribs on your gas grill: Setup your barbecue for indirect grilling. To do this place a metal pan or tray under the grill where the ribs will cook. Fill the pan ¾ full of water. The water helps the ribs ‘slow cook’ and keeps the heat down. How to make a smoker pouch: Make a pouch of aluminum foil and fill with the wood chips. Close the foil pouch and poke a few times with a knife so the smoke can escape. Place the pouch, under the grill in the barbecue but not right under where the ribs will be. Heat the barbecue to about 225 F. Place the ribs on the grill and and close the lid. Cook for about 2-3 hours. If after the first 2 hours the ribs are looking well cooked and browning, it may be best to remove them from the grill.

OVEN BAKED MEMPHIS RIBS4 pounds pork ribs or two big slabs
1 cup Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory and Brown Sugar Barbecue sauce
Dry Rub
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup paprika
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tablespoons mild chili powder
2 tablespoons course salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons celery seeds
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
3 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground allspice
Mix all ingredients together until blended. Lay ribs out flat and rub both sides generously with rub. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a rack inside a large shallow roasting pan to keep the ribs off the bottom of the pan. Lay ribs across rack and fill pan with water under the ribs making sure the ribs are not touching the water. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes in a hot oven. Turn the temperature down to 300 degrees and allow ribs to cook slowly for at least 4-6 hours until the meat begins to fall off the bone. Remove from oven and carefully remove foil so that steam escapes. Brush ribs generously with Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory and Brown Sugar Barbecue sauce. Return to the oven to bake for 15 minutes. Carefully use tongs to lift ribs in one piece and place on platter.

BARBECUE RIBS

4 pounds pork spareribs
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup rum
1/2 cup chile sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 dash ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350F. Cut spareribs into serving size. Wrap ribs in double thickness of foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap and drain drippings. Combine in a bowl: brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rum, chile sauce, garlic, mustard and pepper. Pour over ribs. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate overnight. Bake for 30 minutes, basting with sauce or grill for 30 minutes, 4 inches above coals turning and basting.

BACKYARD BBQ SPARERIBS

2 racks pork spareribs (about 3 pounds each)
1/2 cup Memphis Shake or Cajun Rub, recipes follow
3 cups wood chips, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes and drained
2 cups of one of the following: Kansas City-Style BBQ Sauce or Chile-Coffee BBQ Sauce, recipes follow
Trim the membrane off the back of the ribs and rub ribs all over with spice blend. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. Soak wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling. Prepare an outdoor grill with a medium fire for indirect grilling. Place a drip pan, half-filled with water, under the cooler side of the grill grate. Open bottom vents of the grill. Set the ribs over the drip pan. (If you have a rib rack, use it.) Toss 1 cup of the drained wood chips onto the coals and cover the grill. Rotate the lid so that the vent holes are directly over the ribs. Add about 1 cup of hardwood charcoals to the fire about every hour during the cooking time to maintain a medium to medium-low fire (a temperature of about 250 degrees F to 275 degrees F is ideal). After 3 hours the meat should pull back from the bones and will have turned a reddish brown. Baste the ribs with some of the barbecue sauce of your choice and cook over direct heat until lightly glazed. Cut the racks into ribs and serve with extra sauce on the side. Shopsmart: Spareribs always mean pork from the belly. A rack of 11 rib bones ideally weighs between 2 and 3 pounds. Spareribs are often sold with a meaty section of the flank attached; when trimmed, they are known as "St. Louis style."

BARBECUED RIBS WITH CHILI-ALE SAUCE

For the ribs:
1 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups water
2 pounds fresh pork baby back ribs or spareribs
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups chopped sweet onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
12-ounce bottle chili sauce
12-ounce bottle IPA beer or other light ale
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or more to taste
In a large pot over medium-high, combine the vinegar, molasses, salt, pepper and water. Add the ribs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook, turning occasionally so the ribs cook evenly, until the meat begins to pull away from the bone, 40 to 50 minutes. Drain well. To make the sauce, in a large saucepan over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the onions and saute until softened and lightly colored, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 3 minutes more. Add the chili sauce, beer, molasses, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook the sauce until reduced to about 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce. Measure out 3/4 cup of the sauce for basting. Heat one side of a covered gas grill to high or prepare a fire in half of a covered charcoal grill. Baste both sides of the ribs with sauce and place, meaty-side up, on the unlit side of the grill. Close the grill cover and cook the ribs for 10 minutes. Turn and baste the ribs periodically until they are well glazed and the meat is beginning to come loose from the bones, about 50 minutes. Cut the ribs into pieces and serve with sauce on the side. Serves 4.

DR. BBQ’S BACKYARD CHAMPIONSHIP RIBS

3 Slabs of St. Louis-Style Ribs or Baby Back Ribs, cut in half, membrane off and washed
1/2 cup Turbinado sugar
1 cup Big Time Barbecue rub (recipe follows)
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cups apple juice
2 cups your favorite BBQ sauce
About 30 minutes before they go in to the cooker mix the rub and the Turbinado sugar together and rub it on the ribs. Use about 2/3 on the meaty side and 1/3 on the boney side.
Much of his will depend on your equipment, but you should cook them slow with a little bit of hickory and cherry wood until they are nicely caramelized and looking great. About 325 degrees with an indirect setup would be a good target temperature. One to one and a half hours is a good time guideline for this step. Use a rib rack if you need it for space. Remove the ribs to a platter or sheet pan and brush them all on both sides with honey. The next step is a tenderizing process. Put the ribs in an aluminum foil pan with a little apple juice in the bottom, about one inch. Stand them on end in the pan if you need to. Cover with foil and cook on low until tender. Again, 325 degrees and indirect would be a good target. If you have a hard time keeping your grill low, you’ll need to check that the apple juice doesn’t all cook off. Replenish it as needed. This step can even be done in the oven. The time for this step is one hour as a guideline; but again, this will vary depending on your equipment. Test the ribs by sticking them with a toothpick to see when they are soft and tender. (*At this point you could cool them down, wrap them separately and reheat later. This is a great way to take ribs to a tailgate party or to prepare ahead for a party at home.) Transfer the cooked ribs to a medium hot grill. Brush with BBQ sauce and flip for a just a few minutes. Cut in to pieces and serve. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

BABY BACK RIBS

2 pounds pork baby back ribs
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce
Tear off 4 pieces of aluminum foil big enough to enclose each portion of ribs. Spray each piece of foil with vegetable cooking spray. Brush the ribs liberally with barbeque sauce and place each portion in its own piece of foil. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight. Preheat oven to 300F. Bake ribs wrapped tightly in the foil for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from foil and add more sauce, if desired.

HONEY GARLIC RIBS

4 pounds pork spareribs
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Preheat oven to 375F. Slice the ribs into individual pieces. In a large bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and brown sugar. Stir until honey and sugar are completely dissolved, then stir in the baking soda. The mixture will begin to foam. Transfer ribs to the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover a cookie sheet with foil, and arrange the ribs meat side up on the sheet. Pour excess sauce over all, and sprinkle with the garlic salt. Bake for 1 hour, turning every 20 minutes.

BARBECUED RIBS WITH CHILI-ALE SAUCE

For the ribs:
1 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups water
2 pounds fresh pork baby back ribs or spareribs
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups chopped sweet onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
12-ounce bottle chili sauce
12-ounce bottle IPA beer or other light ale
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, or more to taste
In a large pot over medium-high, combine the vinegar, molasses, salt, pepper and water. Add the ribs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook, turning occasionally so the ribs cook evenly, until the meat begins to pull away from the bone, 40 to 50 minutes. Drain well. To make the sauce, in a large saucepan over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the onions and saute until softened and lightly colored, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 3 minutes more. Add the chili sauce, beer, molasses, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook the sauce until reduced to about 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce. Measure out 3/4 cup of the sauce for basting. Heat one side of a covered gas grill to high or prepare a fire in half of a covered charcoal grill. Baste both sides of the ribs with sauce and place, meaty-side up, on the unlit side of the grill. Close the grill cover and cook the ribs for 10 minutes. Turn and baste the ribs periodically until they are well glazed and the meat is beginning to come loose from the bones, about 50 minutes. Cut the ribs into pieces and serve with sauce on the side. Serves 4.

BEST RIBS IN THE UNIVERSE

This recipe and cooking procedure won the prestigious title "Best Ribs in the Universe" at the 1993 American Royal Bar-B-Que contest as the Overall Grand Champion. They also took "Reserve Grand Champion" at the 1994 American Royal. This is the largest Bar-B-Que contest in the World. Enjoy!
Meat: IBP Brand Loin Baby Back Ribs. 13/4 - 2 lb. Size. Membrane on the inner (Stomach) side removed. All excess fat trimmed.
Dry Rub: Mix all ingredients thoroughly and store unused in moisture proof container
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Non-Iodized Table Salt
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (Dried out lightly by exposing on cookie sheet room temp. several hours, or slightly warmed
5 Tablespoons + 1 Teaspoons Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons + 2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
4 Teaspoons MSG (Accent)
4 Teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
4 Teaspoons Black Pepper freshly ground (important)
4 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
4 Teaspoons Onion Powder
Sprinkle Meat 2 hours before cooking with rub and allow meat to come to room temperature. Do not over-season. A good overall dusting of the spices is all that's needed. The spices will become a nice red liquid coating after sitting for about an hour, if you used the proper amount.
Basic Cooking procedure: Smoke ribs in a "Water Pan" smoker i.e. Brinkman, or Weber "Smoky Mountain Cooker" (the best) Start Charcoal (7-10lbs.) and 4 chunks of White Oak and 2 chunks of Cherry wood (about the size of a tennis ball) at least 1 hour before cooking meat. All fuel should be started in a chimney style starter, no starter fluid and all the charcoal must be gray/white hot. Remove all bark from wood chunks, do not soak. Very little smoke will be visible. Don't worry about that you'll get the flavor. Use straight water in the water pan and keep it full during the entire cooking process. Control oven temperature of cooker by regulating the bottom vents only. Never, ever, completely close the top vent! If you don't have one, put a thermometer on your cooker. Cook ribs for 3 hours fairly cool at 225 degrees on rib racks. After 3 hours lift the lid for the first time, flip the slabs end for end, and upside down, and open all the vents on the smoker wide open. Temperature of the cooker should rise into the 250 to 275 degree range. Peek every ½ hour to monitor doneness. Ribs will be finished when fairly brown in color, and the meat has pulled down on the long bones at least ¾ of an inch. (usually another 1 or 2 hours) Remove from cooker and sauce both sides before cutting individual ribs. I like K. C. Masterpiece BBQ sauce sweetened even more. ( 5 parts sauce, 1 part Honey), and so do the Judges! This basic cooking procedure is probably the most important of all, and works very well with other meats as well. Forget about how much smoke is coming out of the cooker, if you've got the wood you like in there burning up cleanly, the flavor will be in the meat. Smoke is nothing more that a smoke screen, and any coming out of the top of the cooker is flavor lost!

BBQ RIBS ON A WEBER
Adapted from an article in the Portland, ME Times Record. The Moose and Lobster Preservation Society, winners of "Best Ribs in New England" at the KCBS sanctioned Pig and Pepper 1996 competition in Carlisle, MA, describe their technique for slow-cooking ribs on a Weber kettle style grill. Buy one or more whole racks of ribs (end-on or "St. Louis Style" -- ask your butcher) and coat lightly with olive or vebetable oil using your hand or a brush. Sprinkle lots of "rub" on both sides and ends, patting and slapping it firmly into place. Surface of meat should be completely covered with a layer of rub. Wrap each rib in two layers of plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours. Bank a small amount of coals on one side of the grill and let smoker warm up for 20-30 minutes. Stick a meat thermometer in the top or side of the grill (you may need to drill a hole), and work the fire to stabilize the temperature around 200-300 degrees. Hotter fires will significantly shorten cooking times and not allow slow-cooking of the meat.
Soak hickory, mesquite, cherry, apple or other wood chips in a bowl of water for 20 minutes or more, and sprinkle small amounts on the coals every 20-30 minutes or as often as desired.
Optional: Partially fill a small disposable aluminum pan with water and place at the bottom of the Weber or partially over the coals. Fill as necessary during the cooking process. Place ribs away from the heat source, on the side opposite the banked coals. If you have two or more racks of ribs, use a 'rib rack' purchased at your local hardware store for $10 to help stand the rib racks on their side next to each other. Place rib racks thick side up/bone-end down, so the small ends stay moist. That's it! Sit back for 4 to 6 hours, watch the smoke rise, and drink your favorite beverage. Don't forget to add soaked wood chips every so often, and keep the water pan half full. You may want to turn the meat in-place to give each rib end or side equal time nearest the heat source. If you're curious whether the ribs are done, try cutting one off and eating it (cook's privilege). The meat should be pink around the edges (called a 'smoke ring'), pull cleanly from the bone and taste nice and smoky. Before serving or for the last 10 minutes of cooking, lightly brush each rack with your homemade barbecue sauce. Cut between each rib, brush again with sauce if desired, and serve. Make sure you save a few ribs for yourself -- they'll go quickly! You're now a real, slow cookin', wood smokin' barbecue chef.

Sweet-Tea Ribs 

6 bags black tea (any kind)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 orange
2 racks baby back ribs (about 2 pounds)
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 lemon
Empty 3 tea bags into a bowl and combine the loose tea with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grate in the orange zest. Pat the ribs dry and trim the membrane from the underside. Rub the tea mixture over the ribs; place in a roasting pan, meat-side up, and bring to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Steep the remaining 3 tea bags in 2 cups boiling water, about 5 minutes. Discard the bags and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and the juice of half the orange. Pour the mixture around the ribs in the pan. Cover with foil and roast until tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove the ribs from the oven and increase the temperature to 450. Pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Baste the ribs with some of the liquid, then return to the oven and cook, uncovered, basting a few times, until the ribs are dark and glazed, 20 to 30 minutes. When the remaining liquid in the saucepan is syrupy, add lemon juice to taste. Brush the ribs with the glaze. Cut the racks into pieces

CHEF TIM LOVE’S BABY BACK RIBS

1/2 rack baby back pork ribs
For the rub:
1 cup guajillo chile powder
1 cup kosher salt
3/4 cup black pepper, cracked
1/2 cup ground cumin
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup garlic powder
1 cup white sugar
Special equipment: hardwood chips or chunks, preferably whole pecan wood
Directions
Prepare the grill for indirect heat: If you don’t have a smoker with an offset box, you can build a fire on one side of your grill and then put a piece of foil on the opposite side of the grill. This will create indirect heat.
Prepare the ribs: Remove the thin, papery membrane skin from the back of each rack of ribs by pulling it off in a sheet with your fingers, using the corner of a kitchen towel to gain a secure grip, or with pliers.
Prepare the rub: In a bowl, whisk together chile powder, salt, pepper, cumin, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, and sugar.
Generously season ribs with the mixture, rubbing onto both sides of the rack.
Place the ribs, bone-side down, on foil to cook with lid closed. Cover the grill and keep the temperature of the grill at a constant 225-degrees. Cook the ribs for about 3 to 4 hours or until tender.