Rick Lea - You requested information about ribs on the grill. Here is something from America's Test Kitchen. I tried these once, about 5 years ago and thought they were quite good.
Rita
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Episode: Backyard BBQ
Big, juicy, smoky ribs and classic potato salad.
On a hot summer's day, life doesn't get much better than a big, juicy, smoky slab of spicy, mouth-watering ribs. But more often than not, baby back ribs cooked at home come out tasting like dry shoe leather on a bone. Our goal was to produce flavorful, juicy, tender ribs that would be well worth the time, money, and effort. Potato salad is the natural accompaniment to ribs, and an American version?with mayonnaise, hard-boiled eggs, and sweet pickles?is classic, yet most recipes fail. We wanted to fix both problems and create a salad worthy of the finest ribs. In the Equipment Corner we find the best type of wood for smoking, and in the Tasting Lab we find out if any store-bought barbecue sauce compares with homemade.
Recipes:
Barbecued Baby Back Ribs for Gas Grill
Barbecued Baby Back Ribs For Charcoal Grill
American Potato Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs and Sweet Pickles
Foolproof Boiled Eggs
--------------------------------------------------------
Barbecued Baby Back Ribs for Gas Grill
America's Test Kitchen, Published: July 1, 2002
Serves 4. For a potent spice flavor, brine and dry the ribs as directed, then coat them with the spice rub, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate overnight before grilling. If you're using a gas grill, leaving one burner on and turning the other(s) off mimics the indirect heat method on a charcoal grill. Use wood chips instead of wood chunks and a disposable aluminum pan to hold them.
Brine
1/2 cup table salt or 1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 racks baby back ribs (about 2 pounds each), or loin back ribs
Spice rub
1 tablespoon sweet paprika plus additional 1/2 teaspoon
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon table salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
See Illustrations Below: Making a Wood Chip Tray
1. To brine the ribs: Dissolve salt and sugar in 4 quarts cold water in stockpot or large plastic container. Submerge ribs in brine and refrigerate 1 hour until fully seasoned. Remove ribs from brine and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
2. While ribs are brining, cover two cups wood chips with water and soak 30 minutes, then drain. Combine spice rub ingredients in small bowl. When ribs are out of brine and dried, rub each side of racks with 1 tablespoon spice rub; refrigerate racks 30 minutes.
3.To barbecue the ribs: Place soaked wood chips in small disposable aluminum pan, (or homemade container as illustrated below); set pan on burner that will remain on. Turn all burners to high, close lid, and heat grill until chips smoke heavily, about 20 minutes. (If chips ignite, extinguish flames with water from squirt bottle.) Scrape grill grate clean with wire brush; turn off burner(s) without wood chips.
4. Arrange ribs on cool side of grill and cover (grill temperature should register about 275 degrees on grill thermometer). Cook for 4 hours, until meat easily pulls away from bone, flipping rib racks, switching their position so that rack that was nearest fire is on outside, and turning racks 180 degrees every 30 minutes. Transfer ribs to cutting board, then cut between bones to separate ribs; serve.
STEP BY STEP: Making a Wood Chip Tray
1. Make a 1-inch fold on one long side of a 12 x 18-inch piece of heavy-duty foil. Repeat three more times and turn the fold up to create a sturdy side that measures about 1 inch high. Repeat the process on the other long side.
2. With a short side facing you, fold in both corners as if wrapping a gift.
3. Turn up the inside inch or so of each triangular fold to match the rim on the long sides of the foil tray.
4. Lift the pointed end of the triangle over the rim of foil and fold down to seal. Repeat the process on the other short side.
--------------------------------------
Barbecued Baby Back Ribs For Charcoal Grill
America's Test Kitchen, Published: July 1, 2002
Serves 4. For a potent spice flavor, brine and dry the ribs as directed, then coat them with the spice rub, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate overnight before grilling. You will need two wood chunks, each about the size of a lemon, for this recipe.
Brine
1/2 cup table salt or 1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 racks baby back ribs (about 2 pounds each), or loin back ribs
Spice rub
1 tablespoon sweet paprika , plus additional 1/2 teaspoon
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon table salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1. To brine the ribs: Dissolve salt and sugar in 4 quarts cold water in stockpot or large plastic container. Submerge ribs in brine and refrigerate 1 hour until fully seasoned. Remove ribs from brine and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
2. While ribs are brining, cover two 3-inch wood chunks with water in medium bowl; soak wood chunks for 1 hour, then drain and set aside. Combine spice rub ingredients in small bowl. When ribs are out of brine and dried, rub each side of racks with 1 tablespoon spice rub; refrigerate racks 30 minutes.
3. To barbecue the ribs: Open bottom vents on grill. Ignite about 4 1/2 quarts charcoal briquettes (3/4 large chimney-full, or about 65 briquettes) and burn until covered with thin coating of light gray ash, about 20 minutes. Empty coals onto one half of grill bottom, piling them 2 to 3 briquettes high; place soaked wood chunks on top of coals. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, open lid vents two-thirds of the way; heat grate 5 minutes, then scrape clean with wire brush.
4. Arrange ribs on cool side of grill parallel to fire; cover, positioning lid so that vents are opposite wood chunks to draw smoke through grill (grill temperature should register about 350 degrees on grill thermometer, but will soon start dropping). Cook for 2 hours, until grill temperature drops to about 250 degrees, flipping rib racks, switching their position so that rack that was nearest fire is on outside, and turning racks 180 degrees every 30 minutes; add 10 fresh briquettes to pile of coals. Continue to cook (grill temperature should register 275 to 300 degrees on grill thermometer), flipping, switching, and rotating ribs every 30 minutes, until meat easily pulls away from bone, 1 1/2 to 2 hours longer. Transfer ribs to cutting board, then cut between bones to separate ribs; serve.
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American Potato Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs and Sweet Pickles
America's Test Kitchen, Published: February 1, 2005
Serves 4 to 6.
2 pounds medium Red Bliss potatoes (about 6 or 18 new) scrubbed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 hard-boiled eggs (large), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 stalk celery medium, minced (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1/4 cup pickle sweet, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves , minced
1. Cover potatoes with 1 inch of water in stockpot or Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking, until potatoes are tender (a thin-bladed paring knife or metal cake tester can be slipped into and out of the center of the potatoes with no resistance), 25 to 30 minutes for medium potatoes or 15 to 20 minutes for new potatoes.
2. Drain; cool potatoes slightly and peel if you like. Cut potatoes into 3/4-inch cubes (use serrated knife if they have skins) while still warm, rinsing knife occasionally in warm water to remove starch.
3. Place warm potato cubes in large bowl. Add vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and toss gently. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cooled, about 20 minutes.
4. When potatoes are cooled, toss with remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
-----------------------------------
Foolproof Boiled Eggs
America's Test Kitchen, Published: March 1, 1999
Makes 6 eggs. An egg with a perfectly creamy yolk, tender white, and no green ring results from a simple bring-it-to-a-boil method. You may double or triple this recipe as long as you use a pot large enough to hold the eggs in a single layer, covered by an inch of water.
6 large eggs
See Illustrations Below: Foolproof Peeling
Place eggs in medium saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with 1 quart water and 1 tray of ice cubes (or equivalent). Transfer eggs to ice water bath with slotted spoon; let sit 5 minutes. Peel and use as desired.
STEP BY STEP: Foolproof Peeling
1. Tap the egg all over against the counter surface, then roll it gently back and forth a few times on the counter.
2. Begin peeling from the air pocket end. The shell should come off in spiral strips attached to the thin membrane.
Rita
--------------------------
Episode: Backyard BBQ
Big, juicy, smoky ribs and classic potato salad.
On a hot summer's day, life doesn't get much better than a big, juicy, smoky slab of spicy, mouth-watering ribs. But more often than not, baby back ribs cooked at home come out tasting like dry shoe leather on a bone. Our goal was to produce flavorful, juicy, tender ribs that would be well worth the time, money, and effort. Potato salad is the natural accompaniment to ribs, and an American version?with mayonnaise, hard-boiled eggs, and sweet pickles?is classic, yet most recipes fail. We wanted to fix both problems and create a salad worthy of the finest ribs. In the Equipment Corner we find the best type of wood for smoking, and in the Tasting Lab we find out if any store-bought barbecue sauce compares with homemade.
Recipes:
Barbecued Baby Back Ribs for Gas Grill
Barbecued Baby Back Ribs For Charcoal Grill
American Potato Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs and Sweet Pickles
Foolproof Boiled Eggs
--------------------------------------------------------
Barbecued Baby Back Ribs for Gas Grill
America's Test Kitchen, Published: July 1, 2002
Serves 4. For a potent spice flavor, brine and dry the ribs as directed, then coat them with the spice rub, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate overnight before grilling. If you're using a gas grill, leaving one burner on and turning the other(s) off mimics the indirect heat method on a charcoal grill. Use wood chips instead of wood chunks and a disposable aluminum pan to hold them.
Brine
1/2 cup table salt or 1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 racks baby back ribs (about 2 pounds each), or loin back ribs
Spice rub
1 tablespoon sweet paprika plus additional 1/2 teaspoon
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon table salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
See Illustrations Below: Making a Wood Chip Tray
1. To brine the ribs: Dissolve salt and sugar in 4 quarts cold water in stockpot or large plastic container. Submerge ribs in brine and refrigerate 1 hour until fully seasoned. Remove ribs from brine and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
2. While ribs are brining, cover two cups wood chips with water and soak 30 minutes, then drain. Combine spice rub ingredients in small bowl. When ribs are out of brine and dried, rub each side of racks with 1 tablespoon spice rub; refrigerate racks 30 minutes.
3.To barbecue the ribs: Place soaked wood chips in small disposable aluminum pan, (or homemade container as illustrated below); set pan on burner that will remain on. Turn all burners to high, close lid, and heat grill until chips smoke heavily, about 20 minutes. (If chips ignite, extinguish flames with water from squirt bottle.) Scrape grill grate clean with wire brush; turn off burner(s) without wood chips.
4. Arrange ribs on cool side of grill and cover (grill temperature should register about 275 degrees on grill thermometer). Cook for 4 hours, until meat easily pulls away from bone, flipping rib racks, switching their position so that rack that was nearest fire is on outside, and turning racks 180 degrees every 30 minutes. Transfer ribs to cutting board, then cut between bones to separate ribs; serve.
STEP BY STEP: Making a Wood Chip Tray
1. Make a 1-inch fold on one long side of a 12 x 18-inch piece of heavy-duty foil. Repeat three more times and turn the fold up to create a sturdy side that measures about 1 inch high. Repeat the process on the other long side.
2. With a short side facing you, fold in both corners as if wrapping a gift.
3. Turn up the inside inch or so of each triangular fold to match the rim on the long sides of the foil tray.
4. Lift the pointed end of the triangle over the rim of foil and fold down to seal. Repeat the process on the other short side.
--------------------------------------
Barbecued Baby Back Ribs For Charcoal Grill
America's Test Kitchen, Published: July 1, 2002
Serves 4. For a potent spice flavor, brine and dry the ribs as directed, then coat them with the spice rub, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate overnight before grilling. You will need two wood chunks, each about the size of a lemon, for this recipe.
Brine
1/2 cup table salt or 1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 racks baby back ribs (about 2 pounds each), or loin back ribs
Spice rub
1 tablespoon sweet paprika , plus additional 1/2 teaspoon
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon table salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1. To brine the ribs: Dissolve salt and sugar in 4 quarts cold water in stockpot or large plastic container. Submerge ribs in brine and refrigerate 1 hour until fully seasoned. Remove ribs from brine and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
2. While ribs are brining, cover two 3-inch wood chunks with water in medium bowl; soak wood chunks for 1 hour, then drain and set aside. Combine spice rub ingredients in small bowl. When ribs are out of brine and dried, rub each side of racks with 1 tablespoon spice rub; refrigerate racks 30 minutes.
3. To barbecue the ribs: Open bottom vents on grill. Ignite about 4 1/2 quarts charcoal briquettes (3/4 large chimney-full, or about 65 briquettes) and burn until covered with thin coating of light gray ash, about 20 minutes. Empty coals onto one half of grill bottom, piling them 2 to 3 briquettes high; place soaked wood chunks on top of coals. Position cooking grate over coals, cover grill, open lid vents two-thirds of the way; heat grate 5 minutes, then scrape clean with wire brush.
4. Arrange ribs on cool side of grill parallel to fire; cover, positioning lid so that vents are opposite wood chunks to draw smoke through grill (grill temperature should register about 350 degrees on grill thermometer, but will soon start dropping). Cook for 2 hours, until grill temperature drops to about 250 degrees, flipping rib racks, switching their position so that rack that was nearest fire is on outside, and turning racks 180 degrees every 30 minutes; add 10 fresh briquettes to pile of coals. Continue to cook (grill temperature should register 275 to 300 degrees on grill thermometer), flipping, switching, and rotating ribs every 30 minutes, until meat easily pulls away from bone, 1 1/2 to 2 hours longer. Transfer ribs to cutting board, then cut between bones to separate ribs; serve.
-------------------------------
American Potato Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs and Sweet Pickles
America's Test Kitchen, Published: February 1, 2005
Serves 4 to 6.
2 pounds medium Red Bliss potatoes (about 6 or 18 new) scrubbed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 hard-boiled eggs (large), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 stalk celery medium, minced (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1/4 cup pickle sweet, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves , minced
1. Cover potatoes with 1 inch of water in stockpot or Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring once or twice to ensure even cooking, until potatoes are tender (a thin-bladed paring knife or metal cake tester can be slipped into and out of the center of the potatoes with no resistance), 25 to 30 minutes for medium potatoes or 15 to 20 minutes for new potatoes.
2. Drain; cool potatoes slightly and peel if you like. Cut potatoes into 3/4-inch cubes (use serrated knife if they have skins) while still warm, rinsing knife occasionally in warm water to remove starch.
3. Place warm potato cubes in large bowl. Add vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and toss gently. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cooled, about 20 minutes.
4. When potatoes are cooled, toss with remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
-----------------------------------
Foolproof Boiled Eggs
America's Test Kitchen, Published: March 1, 1999
Makes 6 eggs. An egg with a perfectly creamy yolk, tender white, and no green ring results from a simple bring-it-to-a-boil method. You may double or triple this recipe as long as you use a pot large enough to hold the eggs in a single layer, covered by an inch of water.
6 large eggs
See Illustrations Below: Foolproof Peeling
Place eggs in medium saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with 1 quart water and 1 tray of ice cubes (or equivalent). Transfer eggs to ice water bath with slotted spoon; let sit 5 minutes. Peel and use as desired.
STEP BY STEP: Foolproof Peeling
1. Tap the egg all over against the counter surface, then roll it gently back and forth a few times on the counter.
2. Begin peeling from the air pocket end. The shell should come off in spiral strips attached to the thin membrane.