GRILLING vs SMOKING Which Method Makes the BEST Pork Ribs?
Open Fire Pork Ribs
Things to know:
What’s the difference between St. Louis style ribs and regular ribs?
Known for their flat, rectangular shape, St. Louis style ribs hold more fat and a richer flavor than loin back ribs. Their uniform shape, achieved by trimming spare ribs, also makes them easier to handle while cooking.
What ribs are most commonly eaten?
Spareribs are used in more than 40% of rib dishes, and almost 70% of pork rib dishes. But don’t forget about baby back and St. Louis-style ribs. With their typical low initial cost, any of these options might make strong economic sense for your menu.
Which rib has the most fat?
Spare ribs come from the lower portion of the ribcage, closer to the belly. They’re larger, flatter and meatier than baby backs – but they also have more connective tissue and fat, which means more flavor when cooked right.
How many ribs does an average person eat?
So, if ribs are going to be the main meat you are cooking, you can usually plan for: 6 ribs per person when serving baby back pork ribs. 4 – 5 ribs per person when serving pork spare ribs. 2 – 3 ribs per person when cooking beef back ribs.
Should I boil St. Louis ribs before grilling?
If you want your ribs to be more flavorful and juicy, boiling them will render out a lot of the fat. And remember, my friends, fat is FLAVOR! This will also cause the natural juices of the ribs to release into the boil. You don’t want this, if your end goal is juicy ribs.
What temperature do St. Louis ribs fall off the bone?
We would call those “overcooked,” but if that is what you are shooting for…The internal temperature should be around 212-215 degrees for “fall off the bone ribs.”
Ingredients:
2 racks of St Louis Style pork ribs
Salt and Pepper (we used Noble brand Whisky Barrel Smoked Salt and Noble brand Bourbon Barrel Smoked Pepper from ATBBQ.com)
Your favorite rib sauce or glaze (we used Big Red’s Blackberry Rum Sauce and Texas Pepper Jelly Apple Habanero
1. Fire up your grill. You are looking for a heat level where you can hold your hand above the grates for only 6-8 seconds before you have to pull it away.
2. Season the meat side (don’t touch the bone side! Leave the membrane on!) with salt, pepper and sugar in the raw.
3. Place the slab on the grill, bone side down and cook until the top of the ribs feel warm to pretty darned hot (about an hour to an hour and a half or so).
4. Flip the ribs and cook meat side down for 30 minutes.
5. Flip the ribs again and brush on your favorite sauce or glaze, then flip again, meat side down to caramelize the sauce for about 2-3 minutes.
6. Remove from grill, allow to rest for 10 minutes, then cut into separate ribs, serve and ENJOY!
Equipment used:
Gladiator Series Chef & Utility Knife 7”
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