Calling all ES Chefs - Ribs!

[SkinsD]

I tried to make ribs the other day which came out horrific to be nice.

Maybe someone who is culinary inclined can see what I did wrong:

Two baby back ribs - gave them a rub of 8 parts dark brown sugar, 3 parts kosher salt, 1 part chili powder and some pepper, curry, and cinnamon thrown in.

I let that sit in tin foil in the fridge for an hour then baked for 2 1/2 hours at 225. This is what the recipe called for.

Frankly they sucked. They were cooked but the meat was still glued to the bone. Also I was supposed to use light brown sugar but had none so used dark brown. The flavor was hideous.

So my questions: Can dark brown sugar funk up a meal that bad and how long should I cook these guys?

Many, many thanks and happy grilling to one and all!

[Raub]

If your going to bake them in the oven, I'd wrap them in foil to start, then take them out of the foil for just the last 30 minutes or so. I only do ribs on my smoker, so don't know much about making them in the oven.

Also, I usually let them sit longer after I put the rub on them. My favorite rub is this:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup kosher salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 cup brown sugar, dried

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

4 tsp chili powder

1 tsp granulated garlic

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp onion powder

That's enough to do a buttload of ribs.

[RyansRangers]

you have to wrap them in foil in the oven to give them the correct heating

[ThePreciating]

I wouldn't recommend dry-rubbing ribs if you're cooking them in the oven. They need juices to not dry out (and not get stuck to the bone). If you insist on the dry rub, get a hot, hot, hot grill and sear both sides to try to lock in the juices [EDIT - before you put them in the oven obviously]. That should help.

[Midnight Judges]

Raub's dry rub looks pretty good to me so I'll refer you to the Alton Brown recipe:

First, trim the fat off the ribs. It's OK to leave some but you don't want a thicvk layer and sometimes they come with one.

Wrap them in tin foil, so they can be sealed, and pour in a mix of white wine and vineger. I use 2/3 cup win and 1/3 cup of vineger for two racks of ribs.

First 45 minutes @ 350 degrees

1.5 hours at 240 degress.

Then pour the sauce out of the foil into a pot. Skim off the fat periodically. Add BBQ sauce and honey and let it boil down and thicken. Pour this sauce over the ribs and broil for 2.5 minutes for a little browning.

[no1fanofno21]

I tried to make ribs the other day which came out horrific to be nice.

I let that sit in tin foil in the fridge for an hour then baked for 2 1/2 hours at 225. This is what the recipe called for.

Many, many thanks and happy grilling to one and all!

Im surprised about the temperature, i cook mine at 400 for 90 to 120 minutes. I use multiple spices, and then for the last 20 minutes put a thin layer of bbq sauce. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm delicious.

I wouldn't recommend dry-rubbing ribs if you're cooking them in the oven. They need juices to not dry out (and not get stuck to the bone). If you insist on the dry rub, get a hot, hot, hot grill and sear both sides to try to lock in the juices [EDIT - before you put them in the oven obviously]. That should help.

i use dry rubs and cook them in the oven and they turn out great, better than on a grill imo.

[drums and skins]

If you cooked them a little longer, they probably would've been fine. 3 hours at 200 degrees or something of the like.

And yea, dark brown sugar is definitely more potent flavor wise than light brown sugar. It just doesn't sound like a great rub to me. In general, basic rubs have many other spices... I usually see some combination of brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, dry mustard, chili and cayenne powder in a rub, proportions subject to whoever made the recipe.

[Kilmer17]

I concur, sounds like a bad recipe, nothing more than that.

I like mine on a smoker with nothing but garlic salt and cayenne pepper rubber on.

[Zguy28]

Cook them on a grill for 2.5 hours @ 225 degrees. You can throw hickory chips (soaked in water for 30 minutes) on the coals. Make sure you can regulate the heat on your grill too. Also, you will have to add more charcoal periodically.

For the basic dry rub:

1 part - chili powder

1 part - kosher salt

1 part - black pepper

1 part - cumin

1 part - oregano

1/2 part - garlic powder

And don't use too much rub! A little goes a long way.

The longer you cook them at low temps, the more tender they will be.

Anyone here ever smoke Boston Pork Butt or Brisket?

[skins5060]

You definitely want to cook them with tin foil in the oven. I usually just put a little brown suger, garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and some worshteshire sauce (whatever i have in the kitchen) for a liquid and cover them up. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours. Take off the tin foil add bbq sauce and broil about a minute on each side and they come out great.

[SUSkinsFan]

I did ribs for the 4th of July and one thing I did that really helped was putting a pan of water beneath the grate of the grill to help the ribs retain moisture. I didn't do it in one of the grills and they were really dry and tough, but the ribs that came off the grill with the pan of water were extremely tender.

[CHUBAKAH]

Spicy Root Beer and Bourbon Glazed Baby Back Ribs

Glaze:

2 (12-ounce) cans root beer

2 tablespoons hot pepper jelly

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons steak sauce (recommended: Emeril's Steak Sauce)

1 teaspoon Caribbean Pick-A-Peppa sauce

6 whole cloves

1 stick cinnamon

1 orange, zested and juiced

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

2 teaspoons bitters (recommended: Angostura)

1 cup bourbon

1 cup sugar

Ribs:

4 to 5 pounds baby back ribs (2 full slabs, each cut in 1/2)

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons granulated onion powder

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup chicken stock

To make the glaze, place all of the ingredients for the glaze in a 6-quart pot or larger, and cook over medium-high heat. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and allow the mixture to reduce to a glaze consistency, about 25 to 30 minutes longer. Remove the glaze from the stove and strain though a fine mesh strainer. Reserve and keep warm, until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Place the ribs on a sheet pan or baking sheet. In a small mixing bowl, combine the kosher salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir well to incorporate, and use 1 tablespoon of the spice rub to cover each of the ribs. Rub the mixture into the meat and allow it to sit undisturbed for at least 20 minutes.

Pour the chicken stock into the sheet pan, and cover the pan with aluminum foil, making a tight seal. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the ribs are very tender.

Remove the ribs from the oven, discard the foil and the fat and oil from the sheet pan, and allow the ribs to cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust the oven to the broil setting and position the oven rack to the lowest rung. Brush the ribs with a generous coating of the glaze, about 3 tablespoons of the glaze per set of ribs. Place the sheet pan back in the oven, and broil until the ribs are browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove the ribs from the oven and lay on a cutting board meaty side down. Use a sharp knife to cut the ribs apart. Serve the ribs with some of the leftover glaze on the side, if desired.

[CHUBAKAH]

Here's another more specific to the oven from the Memphis in May competition

Competition Bar-B-Q Ribs

4 slabs pork loin back ribs

First Stage Dry Rub:

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup paprika

1/3 cup garlic salt

2 tablespoons onion salt

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

Second Stage:

1/2 cup apple juice per slab

1/2 cup grape juice per slab

Third Stage:

3/4 cup First Stage rub

1/4 cup brown sugar

Finishing Glaze:

1 1/2 cup Big Bob Gibson Championship Red Sauce or your favorite red sauce

1/2 cup honey

Raw Preparation: Place slab of ribs bone side down on table. Slide knife under the membrane and against the end bone to separate the 2. With a dry paper towel, grasp the edge of the thin membrane and pull. The entire membrane should separate from the rib.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Combine First Stage rub and mix well. Generously apply rub onto the front and back sides of ribs. Gently pat to ensure that rub will adhere. Place ribs meat-side up on a broiler pan and bake for 2 1/4 hours.

Remove ribs from oven. Place each rib meat-side down on its own doubled aluminum foil square. Foil should be large enough to completely wrap rib. Mix the Second Stage juices. Pour 1 cup of liquid over each rib. At the same time wrap and seal each rib tight. Return to the oven for 1 hour.

Remove wrapped ribs from oven. Remove from foil and apply a medium coat of the Third Stage rub to the meat-side of the ribs. Place uncovered in the oven meat-side up for 30 minutes.

Remove ribs from oven and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Brush finishing glaze on both sides of ribs. Place ribs in oven for 10 minutes, or until sauce caramelizes.

[Buddy Dude]

The recipe isn't the problem, it was the method of cooking.

If you want perfect ribs that fall off the bone, there is a trick that works.

Before putting them in the oven, and before rubbing, throw them in a pot of boiling water for about 8 minutes. After that, apply your rub, wrap in foil, and throw in the fridge.

When it's completely cooled, puncture some holes in the foil, but not the meat, and toss in the oven on 275, not a degree more, and cook for 2-3 hours, depending on weight.

I guarantee you they will be the best ribs you ever eat.

***My brother is an executive chef for Hilton, he tought me this***

[Raub]

T

Before putting them in the oven, and before rubbing, throw them in a pot of boiling water for about 8 minutes.

Please do not boil ribs. It makes the baby jebus cry.

[Buddy Dude]

Please do not boil ribs. It makes the baby jebus cry.

:laugh: It also makes them more tender.

[Blackest Eyes]

This thread makes me hungry.

[Zguy28]

:laugh: It also makes them more tender.

You are right, that it makes them tender. The downside is it boils out the flavor of the meat itself.

Boil them in a seasoned liquid of some kind if you do that.

[Siven]

Cook them on a grill for 2.5 hours @ 225 degrees. You can throw hickory chips (soaked in water for 30 minutes) on the coals. Make sure you can regulate the heat on your grill too. Also, you will have to add more charcoal periodically.

For the basic dry rub:

1 part - chili powder

1 part - kosher salt

1 part - black pepper

1 part - cumin

1 part - oregano

1/2 part - garlic powder

And don't use too much rub! A little goes a long way.

The longer you cook them at low temps, the more tender they will be.

Anyone here ever smoke Boston Pork Butt or Brisket?

Lower temp is the way to go.I dug a pit in my backyard for bbqing

[CHUBAKAH]

***My brother is an executive chef for Hilton, he tought me this***

You say that like it's supposed to mean something.

The food sucks at the Hilton.

:doh:

I mean it may be ok to some, but not to any of the food snobs I hang with.

Not only that, but I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express last night.

Boiling ribs is great if you want to remove the flavor, and some of the fat. Nothing else.

:2cents:

I challenge you and your brother to a rib cookoff. Name the game at Fed Ex, and the members here can judge.

Come get some.

I'll bring the Tequila, and something good, not that 1800 crap you drink.

[HOF44]

I challenge you and your brother to a rib cookoff. Name the game at Fed Ex, and the members here can judge.

Come get some.

I will make the sacrifice and be a volunteer judge.

[CHUBAKAH]

I will make the sacrifice and be a volunteer judge.

One vote for me already.

Any other takers?

[Raub]

I can't judge because I'll be too busy winning.... :1stplace:

[CHUBAKAH]

I can't judge because I'll be too busy winning.... :1stplace:

Wait

You gonna boil ribs too?

[portisizzle]

Don't drop this in on a game I will be to this year. You ALL will be beat.