Pork Rib Preparation

**Sea** · 09-25-2010, 12:12 AM

What's your favorite way to make fall-off-the-bone pork ribs?

I usually take the easy way out: in the crock-pot, covered in bbq sauce, cook for 8 hours. Unbelievable!

But tomorrow I've got to cook more than the crock holds, so what do you all like?

**arturo7** · 09-25-2010, 12:18 AM

Go get a smoker.

Failing that, 5 or so hours in your oven at 225 deg should do the trick. If you want the "fall off the bone" texture (which to me is mushy) wrap them in foil for the last hour or two.

**Yuri_Rage** · 09-25-2010, 12:22 AM

Dry rub, pecan/apple/hickory smoke, low and slow. 225-ish for 4-6 hours.

pernox · 09-25-2010, 12:32 AM

I don't like my ribs falling off the bone. I like 'em on there pretty firm, with a mess of smoky taste and little if any sauce.

Smoked is where it's at. I'm a fan of hickory/maple for my ribs. If you don't have a smoker, use a grill set up for looooow indirect cooking. Should take at least five hours - shoot for six. Seconded that they'll be more mushy if you wrap them for the last third of the cook. I would add that moistening them heavily with apple juice before wrapping will soften them up a bit more than a plain foil wrap.

Sean · 09-25-2010, 12:40 AM

Marinate, grill for gooood color(blackish). put them on a sheet pan, make sure there is a bit of moisture(marinade, beer, whatever you like).

Wrap the sheet pan in plastic wrap, then foil. << Plastic wrap sounds weird but the foil dissipates heat very well, and the plastic does not melt. This will allow your bones to steam and roast at the same time.

In the oven for 4 hours at 250 plus or minus. Dont peak! Absolutely Tits. Not smoked, dry rub ribs, but moist, falling off the bone, h.ll you can eat the bones.

You must have moisture in there. Marinate the night before if possible, even if they are frozen. Put salt in your marinade. Salt draws moisture from the meat, and since nature abhors a vacuum, draws your marinade in.

Post pics.

**remilard** · 09-25-2010, 07:48 PM

Like others I am a fan of traditional BBQ and do not want fall of the bone ribs.

Foiling with some liquid in there (apple juice is popular, I like blueberry juice), is definitely the way to go. Plus 100 on that suggestion.

**Nurmey** · 09-25-2010, 07:55 PM

Gently boil them for a bit to remove excess fat, tenderize, and cook. After that they can be grilled, smoked, or baked with whatever rub or sauce you like. For falling off the bone, low and slow in a smoker or grill for a couple hours works well.

**azscoob** · 09-25-2010, 08:33 PM

I am a spare rib guy as opposed to baby backs, I brine mine overnight, give em a dry rub after rinsing and patting dry, then I smoke them for 6-8 hours or longer using white oak, mesquite, or live oak if I can get it. I like the ribs to have a certain feel to them, not fall off the bone, but tender. And dont forget to pull the membrane off them before brining or cooking. I have done them foiled, unfoiled, its all up to you, experiment a little, as long as you are cooking them low and slow they should be perfect.

Sawdustguy · 09-26-2010, 06:03 AM

I am a competition bbq cook. Boiling or cooking ribs in a crock pot robs your ribs of flavor. Boiling removes fat and fat is flavor. Falling off the bone ribs are overcooked. As a matter of fact you will loose points in competition for falling of the bone ribs. Ribs cooked to perfection require a simple bite, the meat should come off the bone with minimal effort, leaving the rest of the meat on the bone. Perfectly cooked and well seasoned meat wins contests and taste wonderful. Perfectly cooked ribs takes some skill and all too often people use falling off the bone as an excuse for overcooking the ribs.

I won't give away all of our competition secrets but I will share a recipe that will give you the best home cooked ribs you have ever tasted. They start like this:

Go to Sams Club and buy your ribs there. Butchers tend to trim too much fat and that fat flavors your meat. For home I would recommend Baby Back Ribs. For competition we buy full spares and trim them ourselves to St. Louis cut. This is redious, but again we are competing for money.

Once you obtain your ribs, there is a silvery membrane on the bottom side that should be removed. Remove it with a paper towel and a dinner knife. Get under the membrane with the dinner knife, grab it with the paper towel and try to peal it off in one piece. If you can't take it off in one piece, peel the rest off the best you can.

Once you are done getting the membrane off it is time to season the ribs. Get a jar of plain yellow mustard, no Grey Poupon, just some plain everyday yellow mustard. This is the glue that will adhere the rub to the ribs. Pat the ribs dry with a paper towel and smear mustard all over both sides of the ribs. The mustard also has vinegar in it which will help tenderize the ribs. You will never taste the mustard and no one will ever know you used it. Once the ribs are slathered with mustard, sprinkle your dry rub on the front, back and the sides of the ribs. Put a good coating of rub on the ribs. The rub I recommend for ribs is Obie-Cue's Sweet if you don't like spicy or Obie-Cue's Heat and Sweet for a little bite.

Once they are rubbed they are ready for smoke. In competition we use a $5000 Lang offset smoker, but in our back yard is a $300 Weber Smokey Mountain. It will smoke every bit as well as our Lang Trailer Cooker and we regularly practice on our Weber Smokey Mountain, trying new flavors. Remember it's the cook not the cooker. Set your cooker to cook at 275 degrees using chuncks of hickory. About 5 chuncks of hickory will do the trick because we do not want to over smoke the ribs. Keeping the pit at 275 degrees is key. Learn your pit, whether it's an expensive competition cooker or a backyard Weber Smokey Mountain, learn how to control your temperatures. It's all part of being a pitmaster.

The ribs will cook for about 5 hours total. About 4 hours into the cook, it's time to add some flavor. I hope you haven't opened the cooker until now. Remember if your looking you are not cooking. Ok, now I recommend liberally sprinkling some brown sugar over the top of the ribs. For those more adventurous try a good honey but don't over do it.

About 30 minutes after you put your layer of sweet on the ribs, it's time to start checking the ribs for doneness. The ribs are done when you grab one end of the rack and they bend 90 degrees downward at about the middle. This is the no thermometer way of checking for doneness that competition have used for years. When they are done, we usually sprinkle on a little San Antonio Red Chile Powder (available from Pendry's) and sauce. Sauce is a personal preference. Some like it hot, some like it tangy, some like it sweet and if you are like me I just sprinkle more rub on them and forgo the sauce. It's up to you on the type of sauce you like if any. We like Blues Hog and Head Country. I am sure you have your own brand or like to make your own.

I have left out a few competition secrets but this will give you some of the best ribs you have ever eaten. Remember to layer those flavors: rub, sweet, a little heat then sauce. The most critical thing is pit control. Learn how to control your pit temperatures and you can create great ribs with this formula. Best of luck.

Sean · 09-27-2010, 12:24 AM

competition secrets