Lip-Smacking Good Barbecued Ribs

The biggest mistake most people make when cooking ribs is a lack of patience. To cook really good fall-off-the-bone ribs is to S-L-O-O-O-W-W smoke them over L-O-O-O-W-W heat. If you cook them over high heat, you burn the outside of the meat, and the inside is either raw or if cooked it is tough.

By slow cooking, the collagen in the meat liquefies and turns into gelatin and the fat melts. Too much heat causes the muscle proteins to contract, curl and squeeze out the natural juices along with the liquefied fat and collagen, which results in dry, tough meat.

So the lesson here is not to cook the meat above 250 degrees F. So be patient, its going to take a few hours to cook, but man is it ever worth it!

BIG TIP: Don't brush your sauce on when you first put the ribs on. Wait until they have about an hour left to cook and then apply the sauce. If you put it on to early it will just burn and mess up your ribs. You want the sauce to caramelize, and be thick and sticky. YUM!!!

Here's a couple of my favorite recipes. One is for a dry rub and the other is a Memphis style BBQ sauce. You can add or subtract ingredients to suit your taste. Just remember pepper = hot and spicy, and sugar (brown) = sweet. Enjoy!

All-Purpose Dry Rub
This easy rub is made of ingredients you probably already have on hand, and is good for any meat.
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup garlic salt
1/3 cup coarse salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
Mix together all ingredients and store in a sealed jar.

Memphis Style Barbecue Sauce #1
2 cups ketchup
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup plain yellow mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Combine ingredients in a sauce pan. Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you live in a part of the world that has long cold winters, it is almost impossible to smoke a rack of ribs with snow on the ground. What I do is "naked" smoke 6 or 7 slabs and freeze them for when I get a craving for ribs on a cold snowy winter day. Just thaw them, slap on a thick layer of your favorite barbecue sauce, and nuke them in the microwave on reheat. The sauce should be cooked and bubbling. That's how I satisfy my winter-time rib cravings.