There are a lot of different ways to cook ribs. Some people pre-boil, some slow smoke and some grill.
The key to properly cooking ribs to create a tasty and tender end result is to cook slowly. This means that whether you are boiling, smoking or grilling, you want to take your time to make sure they absorb flavor and get that tender consistently you are looking for.
The easiest way to accomplish this is to use a smoker. However, most people don’t have ready access to a smoker, but luckily it fairly easy to accomplish the same result on a grill with a cover.
First things first, you want to put a dry rub on you ribs. This can be just about any type of seasonings you like. Garlic, Onion, Paprika, Salt, Pepper, Ground Ginger, Cumin, Chili Powder, etc. It’s really up to you. If you like it spicy, add some pepper flakes or Cayenne powder. Run the ribs down with this dry run, wrap in foil and let them sit for at least a few hours. Over night is the best. Before you plot them on the grill, make sure you let them sit out for a while to get to room temperature.
MOP Sauce: A mop sauce is a sauce that you will be applying to your ribs to help add flavor and maintain moisture. Apple Juice with a little bit of seasoning works great. You can also add vinegar or apple juice to a regular BBQ sauce to get the same effect. Before you put the ribs on is a great time to make your mop sauce.
Pre-heat your grill (or oven) to between 200 to 250. If you are using charcoals, let them cook down and push all of them to one side of the grill. If you are using a gas grill, only light one burner. The goal is to keep the temperature in the grill between 200 and 250 for the entire duration of your cooking. You also want to avoid DIRECT heat hitting your ribs. This will cause the outside to burn before the inside is ready.
Plop your slab onto your grill. If you are using an oven, try to place on a rack above a baking pan. You can put directly on an oven rack, just make sure something is underneath to catch the drip. Now close the lid. Let these puppies cook for a good :45 minutes. You may need to check your grill to make sure you are not getting any flames kicking up and hitting the ribs. After :45 minutes or so, flip the ribs and apply a coat of your mop sauce to the side that has been cooking. It doesn’t have to be a lot because you will be doing it a few more times.
Now, the hardest part of cooking ribs this way is having patience. This is a slow cook process and the slower the better. It will be a few hours before these ribs are done. If you are cooking baby backs, it may take less time as they are already pretty tender. The key is to keep flipping every :30 to :45 minutes and mopping with your sauce. Don’t rush this process!!!!
When the ribs are close to finishing, the bones will start to poke out from the slab and the meat will peel back a little. Similar to the bones on the ends of these slabs. You can see them start to poke out.
When you see this, you can tell they are almost done. Another good way to check is to pick up the slab with a pair of tongs and see if it is ‘limp’. Limp, in this instance is a good thing. If it droops down at the other end, it means that the meat is becoming tender.
Once you feel like they are tender enough, you can cover in a ‘finishing sauce’ if you like. A finishing sauce can be the same as your mop sauce or a thicker version. Once the sauce is covering you can crank up your grill or put your oven on broil. This will caramelize the sugars in the sauce and give you a nice crispy outside.
Take off the grill, wrap in foil and let them site for :15 to :20 minutes until you are ready to serve. Cut the ribs down the bone and go to town.