Babybacks on charcoal grill
Cooking time. We will be cooking low and slow, so allow 5 hours for St louis style ribs and 3 hours for Baby back ribs. Ribs are done when you pick them up in the middle with some tongs and they bend like an upside down “U”
1) Rinse. Rinse the ribs in cool water to remove any bone bits from the butchering and any bacterial film that grew in the package (don’t worry, cooking will sterilize the meat). Pat dry with paper towels.
2) Skin ‘n’ trim. If the butcher has not removed the membrane from the back side, do it yourself. Insert a butter knife under the membrane, then your fingers (shown at right), work a section loose, grip it with a paper towel, and peel it off. Finally, trim the excess fat from both sides.
3) Rub. Coat the meat with a thin layer of vegetable oil because most of the flavoings in the rub are oil soluble, not water soluble. The oil should help the flavor get into the surface and for a better crust. A lot of seasoned barbecue cooks use a base of mustard, but I think oil works better. Sprinkle enough Meathead’s Magic Dust to coat all surfaces but not so much that the meat doesn’t show through. That is about 2 tablespoons per side depending on the size of the slab. Many of the herbs and spices in the rub are oil soluble, so the vegetable oil will help them penetrate a little better. Spread the Memphis Dust on the meat and rub it in. Wash your hands. Wrap the meat in half the foil and let it sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours on a platter or pan to catch leaks. In addition to flavoring the meat, the salt in the rub pulls the juices to the surface and that will help form a crust during the cooking. If you don’t have time to let the meat marinate in the dry rub, it’s not the end of the world. Put on the oil and rub anyway and start cooking.
4) Setup your cooker for indirect two zone cooking. That means that one side is hot and the other is not. Push the coals to one side as in the photo at right and as described in best setup for a charcoal grill. You can use a water pan, but it is not necessary. You can also use the duct mod. This is where you cover half of the charcoal grate with foil and place the lit coal on the uncovered part. This ensures that the air will get to the coals, making them last longer.
5) Adjust the temp. Preheat your cooker to about 225F and try to keep it there throughout the cook. Adjust the air intake dampers at the bottom to control heat on charcoal grills. Intake dampers are more effective than exhaust dampers for controlling the temp because they reduce the supply of oxygen to the coals. Take your time getting the temp right. Cooking at 225F will allow the meat to roast low and slow, liquefying the collagen in connective tissues and melting fats without getting the proteins knotted in a bunch. It’s a magic temp that creates silky texture, adds moisture, and keeps the meat tender. If you can’t hit 225F, get as close as you can. Don’t go under 200F and try not to go over 250F. Click here for more about meat science and the thermodynamics of cooking.
Resist the temptation to add more wood. Nothing will ruin a meal faster and waste money better than oversmoked meat. You can always add more the next time you cook, but you cannot take it away if you oversmoke. |
6) Smoke. For charcoal or gas cookers, add 4 ounces of wood at this time. Put the wood right on top of the flame of a gas grill or on the hot coals. Resist the temptation to add more wood. Nothing will ruin a meal faster and waste money better than oversmoked meat. You can always add more the next time you cook, but you cannot take it away if you oversmoke.
7) Relax. Put the slabs in the cooker on the cooler side of the grill, meaty side up. Close the lid and go drink a beer and read a book.
More smoke. When the smoke disappears after 20-30 minutes, add another 2 ounces of wood. After the first hour, stop adding wood. Adding wood at the beginning of the cook allows better penetration before the meat surface seals itself. If you have more than one slab on, halfway through the cook you will need to move the ribs closest to the fire away from the heat, and the slabs far from the flame in closer. Leave the meat side up. There is no need to flip the slabs. Otherwise, keep your lid on. Opening the lid just upsets the delicate balance of heat, moisture, and oxygen inside your cooker. It can also significantly lengthen the cooking time. No peeking. If you’re lookin’, you ain’t cookin’. After two hours of cooking with charcoal, make sure to check the temps. If they are going down you may need to add a few more lit briquettes to the fire. Just hurry and lift the cooking grate and add a few extra lit coals to the fire.
9) The Texas Crutch. The Texas Crutch is optional. It helps tenderize a bit, but not a lot. Almost all competition cooks use the curtch to get an edge. If you want to skip this step, feel free, you’ll still have killer ribs.
After 3 hours of cooking St. Louis Cut ribs at 225F (1 1/2 hours for baby backs), take 6′ of heavy duty foil and fold it into a 3′ length. Lay the slab on the foil meaty side up. Fold up the sides making a boat and pour 1 cup of apple juice into the boat. Don’t pour it on the meat or you’ll wash off the rub. Now carefully fold the foil around the meat, sealing it tight and trying hard not to puncture the foil. Be careful, those bones can poke through. Put the packet back on the grill for 30-60 minutes. No more than 60 minutes. By creating a little steam, The Texas Crutch adds flavor, moisture, tenderness, and finishes cooking the meat.
10) Saucing is optional as well. some people like there ribs dry. OR instead use a glaze at the very end of the end bout 2 minutes before you pull them off. Now take the meat out of the foil, being careful not to curl your eyebrows with the steam when you open the packet, and place the ribs back on at 225F for another hour to firm up the surface. Then paint both sides with your favorite home made barbecue sauce or storebought sauce and move them directly over the hottest part of the grill in order to caramelize and crisp the sauce. On a charcoal grill, just move the slab over the coals. On a gas grill, remove the water pan and crank up all the burners. On a water smoker, remove the water pan and move the meat close to the coals. On an offset smoker, put a grate over the coals in the firebox and put the meat there. With the lid open so you don’t roast the meat from above, sizzle the sauce on one side and then the other. One coat of a thick sauce should be enough, but if you need two, go ahead, but no more! Don’t hide all the fabulous flavors under too much sauce. If you think you’ll want more sauce, put some in a bowl on the table.
Below is a good rib rub that you may want to try out:
Ingredients
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt
4 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons ground rosemary
Optional. Add up to 2 tablespoons crushed dried chipotle, cayenne, chili powder, or other hot pepper. Be careful with this ingredient. Not everybody likes it as hot as you do! You can leave it out if you are serving to a large crowd that is bound to contain a few wimps, and serve pepper flakes on the side.
