RIbs in the oven!!

[Scott Dace]

I know I'll probably get a "ribbing" for this but my wife bought a couple spare rib racks for me the other day. The weather was not very good and I didn't feel like screwing around with the set up and smoker. Soooo...after checking out a couple youtube oven baked ribs videos I proceeded to prep them. I don't have liquid smoke and was out of cumin, so I sprinked some chipotle seasoning and some Tony Chacheres on them (after cutting them down to st louis and peeling the membrane off). I place them on a foiled cookie sheet meat side up and slapped them in the oven at 300*. 2 hours in I checked them, then foiled them with some commercial bbq sauce. I let them go another hour and a half, then checked them using the bone twist method. They were close at that point. I unfoiled them and brushed more sauce on them and let them go another 1/2 hour.
I pulled them and let them rest about 20 mins. I gotta say they were very juicy and tasted a little smokie (I figure it was the chipotle). They were almost as good as ones that come off my smoker.
I want to say I feel shamed but to be honest if I didn't tell people they were oven ribs they would never know. I think it shows that it really is the cook and not the equipment.

 

[Bill Spearman]

You gotta have a couple of plans in case of high winds and heavy seas...........No shame needed......

 

[Sean H]

No shame in that at all. For some reason, I actually prefer baby backs to be cooked in an oven, spares on the smoker. No idea why one is different than the other in my mind.

 

[r benash]

Definitely a good move to skip the liquid smoke IMHO. Use chipotle (as you did) else smoked paprika instead.

You get a more natural smoke flavor, my opinion than you wold with the liquid smoke.

Smoked paprika is a good sub if you don't want the added heat along with smoke flavor that chipotle will include.

You can cook ribs just fine in the oven. Nothing wrong with that, no boiling please

They just aren't BBQ though IMHO. They are ribs - with barbecue sauce

Still good, just different. AKA "Barbecue Style" ribs?

If you have an external style exhaust fan you could even toss a bag of chips in the oven for natural smoke - but without the exhaust everything in your house will smell like smoke

 

[dean]

That is how I always do my ribs. I have had my wsm for over 10 years and ribs come out tough and dry every single time on it. My wifes cousin gave me a recipe called "completion ribs".. It is not some "secret" recipe as it is wildly available. Some call it the 3 2 1 method. # hours in the oven foiled, then 2 hours in the oven with juice added to each rib, grape and apple, then 1 more hour in the oven with the foil opened. Then you put them on yer GAS GRILL or in my case charcoal with some sauce. These always turn out perfecto! If any one wants the whole recipe just holler and ill post it.

 

[Larry Corall]

My wife does her BB's in the oven. Will stand a couple racks in a rib rack on a stainless cookie sheet, adds 1/2 cup water, and steam roasts for the first hour @ 275. Another hour without water. Sauces and finishes under the broiler. Not barbecue ribs but barbecue style ribs. This is the way her and the kids like them.
Me - I still like my spares on the WSM or smoked on the One Touch if I'm only doing a rack or two.
We often serve both at the same meal.

 

[r benash]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by dean:
That is how I always do my ribs. I have had my wsm for over 10 years and ribs come out tough and dry every single time on it. My wifes cousin gave me a recipe called "completion ribs".. It is not some "secret" recipe as it is wildly available. Some call it the 3 2 1 method. # hours in the oven foiled, then 2 hours in the oven with juice added to each rib, grape and apple, then 1 more hour in the oven with the foil opened. Then you put them on yer GAS GRILL or in my case charcoal with some sauce. These always turn out perfecto! If any one wants the whole recipe just holler and ill post it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'd say go ahead and post your recipe in the recipe section. Folks can decide whether they want to use it on the WSM or in the indoor oven.

No reason it can't transfer. The WSM is really just an oven anyway. Only that its fuel is charcoal, and you can add smoke wood without setting of smoke alarms. Heck my grandmothers (and I'm sure many others still do) cooked indoors on wood and coal. It's just heat in a box

Dean - the method you mention is also used by many on the WSM. Sounds like you have a system for ribs you like though. Just saying - sounds to me like you could be just as successful on the WSM once you got passed a learning curve or did a little troubleshooting on your technique on the WSM.

 

[J Reyes]

r bernash-liquid smoke is pretty natural-actual smoke from wood chips or sawdust condensed in liquids and dissolved into water. It is used in many food products including barbecueing sauces and used in commercial kitchens that don't have access to smokers.

Dean-using foil a 3-2-1 or 2-1-1 and/or some verison of that (depending on temps and ribs) with foil as the middle step should get your ribs to the tender stage

 

[r benash]

Hi John - I'm quite familiar with Liquid Smoke. And have used it. I just don't prefer it. Not to my liking is all.

 

[Ron G.]

Prior to getting my WSM, and a few times between when we wanted something "different", I've made at least two different versions of "Cheater Ribs":

One is baked in a cake pan, with apple juice, rings of sweet onion, sliced ginger root, and a light rub of Asian spices. Finished on the grill with a sweet glaze. For predominantly indoor-ribs, I prefer this one. You can avoid the "meat gello" thing. Yummy!

Other one is boiled in beef broth with apple, onion, and bay leaf - then finished on the grill with a bourbon-bbq glaze. If you like them falling-off-the-bone, this one works. Yummy again!

As you may be able to tell - I L-O-V-E ribs, I'll eat 'em just about any way I can get 'em

 

[James Harvey]

Nothing shameful in an oven cook. I can't smoke a brisket to my personal satisfaction but I can braise it to an excellent level of flavour and tenderness using root veg and tasty liquid.
I can't get behind liquid smoke. The taste just doesn't suit me. I also find that chipotle and smoked paprika really need some thought before subbing for real smoke.
All said, the smoker is not always ideal for every cook all the time. My mother in law broils spares at 500F on the middle rack turning every 15 minutes finishing with a store bought sauce and they are just as good as the sauce she uses.
Sometimes I just shake my head and enjoy

 

[Wolgast]

No shame in anything that you like the resault of. You paid for the protein...And you cook it the way YOU want. But as stated...A smoker is just an outdoor oven. If you have problems with ribs on the smoker,just do em like you would in the oven? Same temp/time/foil and so on.

 

[Jim H.]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Wolgast:
No shame in anything that you like the resault of. You paid for the protein...And you cook it the way YOU want. But as stated...A smoker is just an outdoor oven. If you have problems with ribs on the smoker,just do em like you would in the oven? Same temp/time/foil and so on. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well said, Daniel.

Justin Wilson, the Cajun Chef, said about cooking with wine/sherry/etc., "you cook with what YOU like." I think this applies to cooking techniques too, and if that means cooking traditional BBQ'ed foods in a non-traditional manner, there is no shame in that. Cook what you like, how you want to cook it. Sometimes weather forces you to change your technique, others are forced by a lack of time. Whatever the reason, be flexible enough to try new ways to cook the things you enjoy cooking. You may find a new technique that makes your cooks even better.

Also, your point about a smoker being an outdoor oven is very true. Once I wrapped my head around that concept, outdoor cooking changed completely for me. It taught me to better be able to anticipate temperature changes and not chase them, which made LNS smoking much easier.