BBQ Pork Ribs

These ribs are not only easy to put together but they are also tender and fall off the bone. They can be started a couple of days in advance, if needed. I usually steam the ribs in a covered pan in the oven the evening before and then throw them on the grill, and slather them with my favorite bbq sauce, the day of to warm them up and to give them a good pretty char, then eat them up!

I love pork, I think it’s one of the most flavorful meats on its own, but if you prefer beef ribs then this recipe works well with them too. You can use St. Louis-style, baby back or spare ribs, depending how lean you want your ribs or who you are feeding. If you want a leaner cut, that would be the baby back ribs, they are also meatier, cook faster than the other two, and they have a bigger bone curve. They are also the most expensive. They are great to use for an appetizer platter, since one individual rib is small and dainty and perfect to hold and eat between two fingers, even while standing, without getting too messy 🙂 .

St. Louis-style ribs are basically spare ribs that have been trimmed up, which make them more uniform in size and give it that rectangular look. They have less meat than the baby back ribs and they are a little fattier. St. Louis-style also brown more evenly, since they are flatter/thinner. Spare ribs are the biggest slab of the three because they still have the rib tips, and some other parts, still on them, and some think are the juiciest and tastiest.

So, for the recipe below you can use any cut you prefer. If you are just cooking for your family and don’t need the pieces to look symmetrical or pretty then get the spareribs, you get more bang for your buck! If I have company over I prefer the St. Louis-style or baby back.

Also, you can leave your slab whole when cooking it in the oven or cut it into 2 or 3 rib chunks or individual ribs. I like to cut it some first because it cuts easier and it makes it easier to handle when grilling later on, but if you have a real sharp knife then cutting it after will not be a problem.

You will need:

• 1 slab baby back, St. Louis-style, or spare ribs, cleaned
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of water
• 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Steps:

1. Season both sides of your slab of ribs with salt and pepper and then cut them into your preferred portions, if you prefer.
2. Add your ribs to a roasting pan, in a single layer, and then add the cup of water from the side.
3. Tightly cover the pan with aluminum foil to allow for your ribs to steam. An alternative method would be to add a large piece of aluminum foil to a sheet pan and line your ribs on it, add the water and then seal the foil around itself, if you don’t have a large roasting pan.
4. Roast covered ribs in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and uncover and let them rest a slightly cool for 30 minutes. At this point you can put them in a smaller pan and cover them for grilling at a later time.
5. When you are ready to grill, remove your meat from the refrigerator and bring them to room temperature for 30 minutes then slap those babies on the grill.
6. After a few minutes turn them and brush your favorite BBQ sauce on the top side. Turn them again, after a few minutes, and brush sauce to the other side too. Continue doing this a couple more times until you have enough sauce on them and they are slightly charred around the edges.
7. Take them off the grill and let them cook for a few minutes before cutting them. If you had already pre-cut them then you are ready to eat!

Kali Orexi!