BBQ ribs, rosy, crispy, with an appetizing crust, are cooked outdoors, at home on the grill or in the oven, and served as a main course with vegetables and potatoes. Ribs are a portion of the brisket with a layer of muscle, fat and ribs - this meat is considered the most tender, juicy and delicious, especially if cooked correctly. Pork, beef and lamb ribs, smelling of wood and fire, are an ideal snack for beer and the signature dish of any picnic. Your family will certainly appreciate the aromatic, spicy and juicy ribs, which are a real pleasure to cook!
How to Cook BBQ Ribs: Preparing the Meat
For this dish, take chilled pork, beef or lamb ribs with a large amount of meat and a thin layer of fat. It is advisable to take the ribs of a young animal - they can be distinguished by the light shade of the meat and a thin layer of white fat. Although barbecuing pork is considered better because it cooks faster, lamb and beef are also very tasty, and the toughness of beef or veal meat is eliminated by long marinating. However, if you cook the meat correctly, it will be perfectly baked, tender, juicy and very aromatic. The best ribs come from the rib area near the vertebrae, where the ribs are very small.
So, the meat is washed well, the film is removed from the back of the ribs, picking it up with a sharp knife. If the film is not removed, it can cause the ribs to become tough—they will appear “rubbery.” Next, the ribs are chopped into several parts so that each of them has approximately 2–5 bones. Some chefs claim that the larger the piece, the tastier the meat will be. If frozen ribs are cooked, they should be thawed in the refrigerator at 5°C, where they are best left overnight.
Ribs selection
Tender BBQ ribs can be made with lamb or beef, but pork is the best choice for this recipe. The ribs should be quite meaty with a thin layer of fat; when choosing, pay attention to the following tips:
- the bones must be cleaned, otherwise splinters may get into the pulp;
- when you press a piece, no water should appear; if there is a lot of liquid, then the seller offers you repeatedly frozen and thawed pork;
- the meat of a young animal has a pleasant light pink hue, the fat is white. Yellow fat is a bad sign; it will emit an unpleasant aroma during cooking;
- the surface must be smooth without cuts, stains, or dark film;
- Be sure to smell the meat, because fresh pork has a slightly sweet smell, while stale pork smells of vinegar or rot.
After purchasing the ribs, you need to prepare them: remove the film, rinse the pork, trim the bones, if necessary. After completing all the procedures, divide the ribbon of ribs into portions if you fry them in a frying pan. The larger the pieces, the juicier the final dish will be. If you plan to cook ribs on the grill or in the oven, do not cut them into pieces, but make cuts in the thickest areas.
How to deliciously marinate ribs for barbecue
The meat is rubbed with salt, pepper, vegetable oil and left in a cool place for several hours - this is the easiest way to marinate. At the same time, about 20 g of salt should be taken per 1 kg of meat. You can add chili pepper, smoked paprika, dried garlic, cane sugar and chopped dry herbs to the grating mixture. If you cover the meat with cling film and put it in the refrigerator, the dish will turn out more tasty and piquant.
Some housewives marinate the ribs either in a barbecue sauce made specifically for grilling ribs, or in a different sauce, depending on the recipe and personal preference. Usually the ribs are marinated for at least half an hour, but more is better, so they will become tastier and juicier. How to soak ribs for barbecue so that they are maximally saturated with the aroma of spices? To do this, it is better to leave them in the refrigerator overnight.
Various ingredients are added to the marinade for barbecue ribs - soy sauce, honey, tomato sauce, dry white wine, lemon or orange juice, garlic, onion, mustard, sugar, ginger, wine vinegar, aromatic herbs and spices. One of the most successful marinades is apple juice and vinegar, but if you rub a mixture of dry thyme, smoked pepper, fennel seeds, garlic and brown sugar into the meat before marinating, the ribs will turn out unusually tasty. There are many different sauce recipes, and each housewife can come up with her own signature sauce, the main thing is to marinate the meat longer, and this is the main secret of juicy ribs.
Pork ribs on the grill or grill: recipe with beer marinade
So, we told you how to properly cook pork ribs on the grill, and for dessert we prepared the idea of another cool and intriguing marinade that is ideal for pork ribs.
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork ribs (both loin and breast are suitable);
- 3-4 medium onions;
- Can of light beer;
- 2 teaspoons barbecue seasoning;
- 1 teaspoon black pepper;
- Salt to taste.
How to cook
Prepare the meat using the technology already familiar to you: rinse, dry with a paper towel and remove the membrane. Season the ribs on all sides with salt, seasoning and pepper. Place onion, cut into rings, at the bottom of a large container.
Place a portion of ribs on top of the onion and cover them with another layer of onion. Repeat the procedure until you run out of ribs. Fill everything with beer, close the container with a lid and place it in the refrigerator for several hours.
Next, start frying. Cooking time will depend on the type of meat (loin or breast), as well as what exactly you are cooking on (barbecue, gas or charcoal grill).
Follow the rules listed above - the heat should be medium, closer to low, the meat should be turned over and after about 20 minutes, start checking for doneness. We think you can guess what to use these ribs with.
- Author: Maria Minaeva
BBQ ribs recipe in the oven
Place the ribs in the oven, preheated to 200 °C, directly on a wire rack or baking sheet, pour over the sauce, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for another 20 minutes. This is done so that the meat is first stewed well and only then browned. If everything is the other way around, the ribs inside will remain raw. It’s good if the oven has a grill mode, then at the very end you can leave the meat under the grill for 10 minutes. Using the same principle, the dish is prepared on the grill. There is another cooking method - fry the ribs in hot oil in a cast-iron frying pan until golden brown, then add onions, garlic and spices, pour in wine, water and simmer for an hour. The finished ribs are allowed to dry, brushed with barbecue sauce and baked in the oven for 5–10 minutes until a delicious caramel-colored crust forms. This method is a bit reminiscent of ancient recipes, where the ribs were first boiled and then fried over a fire; it was believed that meat prepared in this way became more tender. Many modern chefs consider this method unacceptable, claiming that it spoils the taste of the ribs. Interestingly, the British bake ribs for 6-8 hours at a temperature of 80-90 ° C so that they melt in the mouth.
