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There is nothing better than tender, meaty, flavorful and saucy ribs. Over the years I’ve tried different ways of making ribs and have learned a lot along the way. Let me walk you through the different rib types, techniques and cooking variations. With just a few steps make the The Best BBQ Rib Recipes this summer.
The only question I have is…do you prefer beef ribs or pork ribs?
Looking for some BBQ classics, check out The Best Pulled Pork Recipes.
Table of Contents
- What is the difference between spare ribs and baby back ribs?
- What’s better, Beef ribs or Pork ribs?
- How to Smoke the BEST PORK RIBS
- What is the 3-2-1 method for ribs?
- Recipe Tip
- Smoking the perfect Classic BBQ Baby Back Ribs.
- Recipe Tip
- Recipe Tip
- The Best Smoked Pork Ribs
- How to Smoke the BEST BEEF RIBS
- Finding full beef ribs in stock
- Prep work required on Beef Ribs
- How to smoke beef ribs
- The long waiting game
- Finally enjoy the labor of love.
- The Best Smoked Beef Ribs
- Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the difference between spare ribs and baby back ribs?
Spare ribs are trimmed from the lower part of the rib cage of a pig located near the belly making them fattier and more flavorful. Because of the location and fattiness, spare ribs have more connective tissue and cartilage making them more frustrating to cook for many.
That is why Baby Back ribs are the more common and popular choice. These are trimmed from the upper cage of a pig near the spine. They are leaner and meatier than spare ribs. This cut of ribs gets the name “baby” because they are shorter than other cuts of ribs.
What’s better, Beef ribs or Pork ribs?
It’s hard to compare beef ribs to pork. Both are very district with flavor, size and cooking methods. Which is why I think they can be enjoyed equally.
Beef ribs are larger – no surprise. They are also fattier which makes them perfect for smoking or braising but take longer to perfect. Nicknamed “brisket on a stick” beef ribs flavor is more intense with the strong beefiness prominent in every bite.
Pork ribs are more tender than beef. Cooking methods seem to be less time consuming than beef ribs. Of the two proteins, pork ribs are more affordable thus more popular.
How to Smoke the BEST PORK RIBS
What is the 3-2-1 method for ribs?
The 3-2-1 method for cooking ribs is the most common cooking process. It’s a basic 3 step process that includes:
- 3 hours of smoking the ribs directly on a smoker or grill.
- 2 hours of cooking the ribs wrapped in foil on a smoker or grill.
- 1 hour of smoking the ribs unwrapped with bbq sauce brushed over them.
It’s a great method if you like your ribs very tender and very fall of the bone. And if you have 6 hours to spare to cook your ribs. Me personally, I like my ribs tender but with a little bit of a bite and chew to them. I don’t want my rack of ribs to fall apart when I pick them up.
The method I use to smoke my classic BBQ baby back ribs is similar to the 3-2-1 method but much shorter and simpler. You still get tender and delicious ribs, but in half the time! TRUST ME!
How to remove the membrane.
This is a popular topic of discussion in the BBQ community. Do you keep the membrane or remove it? I honestly do both, but the deciding factor is the grill I use. When smoking ribs on a pellet grill, I remove the membrane since it’s a milder heat and smoke. The membrane will get chewy so it’s best to remove it. If I’m grilling my ribs on a charcoal grill, I usually just score the membrane and leave it on. The more intense heat will get it crispy and there’s no need to remove it.
Removing the membrane is simple. Push one or two fingers under the membrane just above the bone on one side of the ribs. Gently push that finger through to the other end, grab the loose membrane from both sides and pull off.
Once the membrane is removed, trim off any fatty or loose ends. This will give the ribs a nice clean look.
What seasonings to use for the Best BBQ Ribs .
A binder is needed before seasoning the ribs. Because the ribs will be on the grill for a while, a binding agent is needed to keep as much of the seasoning on the ribs as possible.
usually go with the traditional yellow mustard. You will not be able to taste any of the mustardy flavors once the ribs are cooked.
For my seasoning, I like to go with an equal blend of savory and sweet. Start seasoning the ribs on all sides with Dad’s All Purpose rub. This has the perfect savory blend of salt, pepper, paprika and garlic. Follow that with Dad’s Sweet BBQ rub which has notes of honey and brown sugar to give it a sweeter taste.
Don’t be shy with the seasoning. Some of it will fall or burn off during the smoking process. Pat the seasoning on the ribs to help it stick. You don’t want to rub it as it will smear and clump up. Do this on both sides of the rack.
Recipe Tip
Season the bone side first, flip, and repeat on the meat side. You always want to season the presentation side last so it will look nicer when the ribs are done. Remember, we eat with our eyes first and you want these ribs to look great!
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
Smoking the perfect Classic BBQ Baby Back Ribs.
Preheat the smoker to 275 degrees and set for indirect heat. I used my Weber Searwood Pellet Grill for this cook. If you are using any other grill or oven, follow along using the same times and temps.
Phase 1: Smoke the baby back ribs directly on the grates.
In the first phase of the cooking process, the ribs should go directly on the grates meat side up. Let them smoke for 2 hours or until the internal temperature on the ribs reaches 175 degrees Fahrenheit. By this time the bones should be peaking out.
Recipe Tip
Check the ribs after the first hour. If they are looking dry on the outside, spritz them with apple cider vinegar. This step is optional and will largely depend on the size and quality of ribs and your smoker.
Phase 2: Wrap the ribs.
Remove the ribs from the grill and place them meat side down on a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Melt a stick of butter and gently pour it over the ribs and around the sides on the foil.
Wrap tightly making sure the bones do not rip through the foil. You need an airtight pouch to keep the moisture in and allow the meat to get nice and tender.
Recipe Tip
For a competition style wrap, you can add brown sugar and honey to the butter wrap. Experiment with different types of sugar and liquids to get a different flavor profile
Place the wrapped ribs back on the smoker, meat side down, and cook for an additional hour. At this point you can also place them in the oven since they are wrapped in foil and won’t be getting any more smoke flavor.
Phase 3: Sauce up the Classic BBQ Baby Back Ribs.
When the ribs hit 190 degrees internal temperature, open the foil wrap and flip the ribs meat side up. Roll up the sides of the foil and shape it into a boat. This will help keep all the liquids in the foil and your smoker clean.
Brush the classic BBQ baby back ribs with BBQ sauce and close the lid. Continue cooking for 15-20 minutes to allow the sauce to set. You can use your favorite store bough sauce or make your own.
For a homemade BBQ sauce, use your recipe or check out some of my favorites. From Savory Bourbon sauce or a classic Sweet and Tangy BBQ sauce. Can’t go wrong with any of them.
When ready, remove the ribs from the grill and let them rest. Just as with any protein, you need to rest cooked meat. This will stop the cooking process and make for a much tastier product.
Cut the ribs between the bones, plate them up and serve. And don’t forget extra BBQ sauce and napkins on the side!
The Best Smoked Pork Ribs
How to Smoke the BEST BEEF RIBS
Finding full beef ribs in stock
These are usually sliced into thin strips and sold as short ribs. When cut this way, the cook time is greatly reduced. But we want the full rack! We want the beef! The best way is to call around your local butcher shops and ask if they stock or if they can order beef plate ribs or a full, uncut rack of short ribs. A rack is usually sold with 3 bones, and 1 bone is plenty to feed 1 person.
The rack will have a meaty side and bone side, similar to pork ribs. I start by removing ALL the fat from the meaty side to expose the meat. This not only removes excess fat that’s not needed, but it also exposes the meat where that deliciousness that’s known as BBQ bark will form during the smoking process. For those new to BBQ, bark is the outside crust that’s formed when cooking with smoke.
On the bone side, there is a thick membrane which also needs to be removed. Some like to leave it on, but I pull it off, to again, expose more meat and allow more of the seasoning to stick.
Prep work required on Beef Ribs
For true Texas style BBQ, I like to stick with a 50/50 mix of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper just like you would on brisket. This mix will make the beefy flavor shine through, as well as help with the tasty bark that we want on the outside. Before any of our rub hits the meet, however, I like to use a binder to help it stick to the meat. The binder acts as a glue for the rub. And for beef ribs, I use yellow mustard or hot sauce. The hot sauce adds a little kick, and I do mean a very little kick, to the flavor.
After applying the binder, add an even but generous coating of the salt/pepper mix all over the ribs. Since this is a big cut of meat, don’t be shy with the seasoning! The ribs can take it. After the ribs are seasoned, let them sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes. This will bring up the temperature of the meat and allow the salt and pepper to start penetrating the meat.
How to smoke beef ribs
Fire up the smoker and bring the temperature up to between 250-275 degrees. That will be our cooking temperature range for the duration of the cook.
Place the ribs on the smoker, meat side up and insert your temperature probe into the thickest part of the meat. Cooking proteins to temperature and not to time will ensure that everything is cooked properly and not over or under cooked.
I like to use Thermoworks products. These are high quality tools and are very accurate. My 2 favorite leave in thermometers are the Thermoworks Smoke and the Thermoworks Signals . The Smoke is a 2 channel alarm while the Signals is a 4 channel alarm. Both are very accurate, durable and will last a long time.
The long waiting game
Cooking low and slow has one big downside….the slow part. Good bbq takes a long time to perfect and these ribs are no different. For an average 3 bone rack of beef plate ribs, you’re looking at a cook time of anywhere between 6-8 hours. All you have to have to do during this time is just make sure the smoker temperature stays in the 250-275 range. We won’t be wrapping the ribs, we’ll cook them straight through until finished.
And the ideal finished temperature for beef ribs is anywhere between 205-210 degrees. Once they hit 205, you can start checking for tenderness. What’s that mean? It means that when you take your temperature probe and insert it into the meat, it should go in without any resistance. Check a few different spots and make sure they are very tender.
Pull the ribs from the smoker, now wrap them in pink butcher paper, and let them rest in a room temperature cooler for about an hour. So why the wrap now? The wrap will help keep the meat warm while still allowing it to breath so that beautiful bark on the outside won’t soften up on us. And the meat needs the time to rest to stop the cooking process and to allow all the juices inside to redistribute. You’ve waited this long, you can wait another hour!
Finally enjoy the labor of love.
After the rest, take the ribs out of the cooler, slice between the bones and enjoy! One bone is plenty enough for 1 person. Remember, these are called “dino bones” for a reason. The best part is taking that first bite of the beefy deliciousness. The meat should just fall apart and be super tender and juicy.
The Best Smoked Beef Ribs
Frequently Asked Questions:
The secret to making tender and flavorful ribs is to smoke them low and slow. Start by smoking them directly on the grates for 2 hours and then wrap them in foil. The wrap is what will get the ribs super tender and delicious.
The best bbq ribs will depend on a persons preference, but spare ribs seem to be more popular. This is because of their larger size to baby back ribs and meatiness.
Baby Back ribs are considered the most tender due to their high fattiness. Low and slow smoking renders down the fat, making the meat fall off the bone tender.
