Ribs are a protein that can be daunting to the average BBQ'r. And, there are a lot of little things that most people don't know, like removing the membrane. A few little tricks go a long way. We wanted to share Angie's method to make perfect ribs, every time!
Prepping the ribs for the BBQ:
Start with the membrane removal. When you buy ribs there is a meat side and a bone side. On the bone side there is a membrane covering the entire rack of ribs. The quality of the ribs you prepare can be greatly enhanced if you remove this membrane. It is simple to do. Lay the meat side down. With your finger start to loosen the membrane at the middle bone of the rack. Using a paper towel to grab the membrane- pull upwards and the membrane will come off the rack of ribs. Discard the membrane.
After the membrane has been removed wash the ribs to remove any bone particles and pat dry. Generously season your ribs with your favorite dry rub. Let the rib sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so the rub can start to draw moisture from the meat and stick to the ribs. If you move the ribs too soon, all of the rub will fall off.
Prepare your grill for indirect cooking, medium heat. Place the ribs on the OFF or cool side and add smoke chips such as apple, cherry or hickory to the HOT side. Close the lid and smoke the ribs for about 45 minutes to one hour for the first step.
This step will give the meat a lot of flavor and set the rub on the meat. Prepare a sheet of foil with some honey drizzled on it - the same width as the rack of ribs. Curl up the corners of the foil and some brown sugar & a glug of apple juice to moisten the sugar. Take a rack of ribs from the grill and place meat-side down on the sugar and honey mixture. Loosely wrap the foil and return to the grill again, on the indirect side for another 45 minutes to one hour. This step will make the meat soft and tender.
Open the foil pouches, being very careful of the steam and hot liquids inside, remove the ribs and place back on the indirect side of the grill. Brush the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce and close the lid. Allow the sauce to set up like a glaze, flip over & glaze the other side. This glazing step should only take 15 to 25 minutes. Remove the racks from the grill and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
