Thought I'd share this Cooks Illustrated recipe for brined Barbecued Baby Back Ribs, just for fun...
Keri C
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Ribs barbecued at home can be flavorless and dry. We wanted lots of smoky flavor and moist meat.
Problem: Baby back ribs are expensive and can take several hours to prepare, and all too often the results are not worth the cost and effort. Dry, flavorless ribs are a true culinary disaster.
Goal: We wanted ribs that were juicy, tender, and fully seasoned, with an intense smokiness.
Solution: For ribs that are so good and moist they don't even need barbecue sauce, first brine in a salt, sugar, and water solution, then rub with a spice and sugar mix before barbecuing. For even more flavor, pile wood chunks on top of the coals before barbecuing. Use the "low and slow" cooking method: barbecue the ribs for 2 hours on the cool side of the grill, then add fresh briquettes to the coals and continue to cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours longer.
BARBECUED BABY BACK RIBS FOR CHARCOAL GRILL
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 sugar
2 racks (about 2 pounds each) baby back or loin back ribs
Spice rub
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
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.
BARBECUED BABY BACK RIBS FOR GAS GRILL
If you're using a gas grill, leaving one burner on and turning off the other(s) mimics the indirect heat method on a charcoal grill. Use wood chips instead of wood chunks and a disposable aluminum pan to hold them.
Follow recipe for Barbecued Baby Back Ribs for Charcoal Grill through step 3, making following changes: Cover 2 cups wood chips with water and soak 30 minutes, then drain. Place soaked wood chips in small disposable aluminum pan; 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. 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.
(Taken word for word from Cooks Illustrated)
Keri C
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ribs barbecued at home can be flavorless and dry. We wanted lots of smoky flavor and moist meat.
Problem: Baby back ribs are expensive and can take several hours to prepare, and all too often the results are not worth the cost and effort. Dry, flavorless ribs are a true culinary disaster.
Goal: We wanted ribs that were juicy, tender, and fully seasoned, with an intense smokiness.
Solution: For ribs that are so good and moist they don't even need barbecue sauce, first brine in a salt, sugar, and water solution, then rub with a spice and sugar mix before barbecuing. For even more flavor, pile wood chunks on top of the coals before barbecuing. Use the "low and slow" cooking method: barbecue the ribs for 2 hours on the cool side of the grill, then add fresh briquettes to the coals and continue to cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours longer.
BARBECUED BABY BACK RIBS FOR CHARCOAL GRILL
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 sugar
2 racks (about 2 pounds each) baby back or loin back ribs
Spice rub
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
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.
BARBECUED BABY BACK RIBS FOR GAS GRILL
If you're using a gas grill, leaving one burner on and turning off the other(s) mimics the indirect heat method on a charcoal grill. Use wood chips instead of wood chunks and a disposable aluminum pan to hold them.
Follow recipe for Barbecued Baby Back Ribs for Charcoal Grill through step 3, making following changes: Cover 2 cups wood chips with water and soak 30 minutes, then drain. Place soaked wood chips in small disposable aluminum pan; 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. 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.
(Taken word for word from Cooks Illustrated)