How to Barbecue Ribs on the Grill

Should You Cook Your Ribs in The Oven?

If you're not very confident using a grill, you may find yourself wondering if you'd be better off cooking your ribs in the oven. Are barbecued or oven-baked ribs better? However, there is no right or wrong answer here, as this comes down to personal preference. Let's take a look at a few of the pros and cons of grilling your ribs instead of cooking them in the oven. 

Pros

• Smokey Flavor: Many people prefer grilling ribs as this gives them a charred, smokey flavor that's almost impossible to recreate in the oven. 

• Moisture Retention: Grilling ribs, particularly on a gas barbecue, helps to lock in moisture. This results in a juicier final product, whereas oven-baked ribs tend to be dry.

• Outdoor Experience: In the summer, grilling ribs is about more than just the final product ... it's an experience. Grilling can become a fun social activity in which people spend time together outside enjoying the summer sun while dinner cooks.  

Cons

• Time Commitment: Successfully grilling tender, juicy ribs takes time, and it is generally a longer process than cooking them in the oven. You should be prepared to spend several hours tending to the grill if you choose this option. 

• Less Temperature Control: While maintaining a consistent temperature in an oven is as simple as selecting your desired temperature, maintaining a consistent temperature on a grill can be challenging and requires careful monitoring and adjustments. Because grill temperatures can be erratic, this makes it easier to accidentally overcook your ribs. 

• Easier to Burn Sauce: If you choose to sauce your ribs instead of just using a dry rub, the high heat and flames of the grill can quickly burn your sauce if you're not careful.

Ultimately, whether you should cook your ribs on the grill or in the oven will come down to personal preference. However, many people prefer to grill their ribs in the summer to avoid heating up their kitchen. 

Should You Cook Your Ribs Before Grilling?

If you're going to grill your ribs, it's better to cook them entirely on the grill. While this takes time and patience, cooking your ribs on the grill from the beginning makes it easier to time everything properly and prevents you from accidentally overcooking them.    

How Long Do Ribs Cook on The Grill?

We've mentioned that cooking ribs on the grill takes time and patience, but how long exactly does it take? As a general rule, ribs will take anywhere from 4-6 hours to cook on the grill depending on the type/size of ribs you're cooking. For instance, while baby-back ribs may take closer to four hours, meatier spare ribs will likely take six. Grilling ribs takes this long as it's best to cook them slowly over indirect heat to lock in moisture and ensure they're tender.  

Should The Ribs Be Wrapped in Foil?

You may have heard that you should wrap ribs in foil when grilling them. Yet, is this true? How long should they be wrapped in foil? Wrapping ribs in foil during the middle stage of the grilling process (for roughly two hours) is generally considered to be the best practice, as this helps keep the ribs moist and tender during the long grilling process. 

Preparing Your Ribs

Now that we've gone over the most common questions people often ask about grilling ribs, let's jump into tips for preparing and cooking your ribs. Before you place your ribs on the grill, you first need to:

• Remove The Membrane: On the back of your ribs, you will notice a thin membrane. This white, plastic-like piece of tissue needs to be removed, as leaving it on will make it much harder to cut your ribs later and will result in tougher ribs. You may be able to peel this membrane off with your fingers, or you may need to use a knife.

• Apply a Dry Rub: Next, apply your dry rub by coating your ribs in vegetable oil or mustard, and liberally apply the dry rub with your hands. You can either look up a dry rub recipe online or purchase a pre-mixed one from the grocery store. 

• Preheat The Grill: Finally, preheat the grill to about 275F. You want to set it up for slow, indirect cooking. If you're using a gas grill, you should then only turn one burner on. If you're using charcoal, keep the coals to one side. You'll then place your ribs on the unlit side of the grill.

Cooking Your Ribs

Once your ribs are prepped, you're ready to place them on the grill over indirect heat and start cooking. 

• Initial Cooking Phase: For the initial cooking phase, cook the ribs over indirect heat for about two hours, rotating them every 20-30 minutes.

• Foil Wrapping: Next, wrap your ribs tightly in foil, and add about ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar to the foil pouch. The apple cider vinegar helps keep your ribs moist while also tenderizing the meat.

• Second Cooking Phase: Place the ribs back on the grill over indirect heat and cook them for 90 minutes to two hours, depending on thickness (90 minutes for baby ribs, two hours for spare ribs).

• Saucing: Next, remove the foil from the ribs, brush them thoroughly with your favorite barbecue sauce, and return them to the grill.

• Final Cooking Phase: Cook your ribs for another 90-120 minutes, regularly rotating them to prevent burning the sauce. You may also choose to reapply the sauce every 30 minutes or so. 

• Rest and Serve: Once the ribs are caramelized and tender, remove them from the grill and let them rest for 15 minutes before you slice and serve them.

Enjoy Summer Barbecues? Find an Apartment Community With On-Site Grills

For many families, there's no better way to spend a weekend afternoon than enjoying time outside grilling their favorite foods. However, if you live in an apartment, this may not always be an option. Even if you have a patio or balcony, most apartment complexes do not allow grills. 

If you're looking for a new apartment, you should then consider Vicino on the Lake, as our apartment community has stainless steel grills that will be perfect for your summer grilling needs. Feel free to contact us to learn more about our community and the many amenities our residents benefit from.