ChadVKealey
TVWBB Pro
On one episode of Diners, Drive-ins & Dives, there was a place (near Vegas, I think) that boiled their ribs IN something between and brine and a marinade for a ridiculous amount of time (maybe 12 hours?) then grilled them to set up the bark.
Personally, I boiled ribs once, at my FIL's request (because he'd seen them cooked that way on America's Test Kitchen). I followed their recipe to a "T", but what ultimately came off the grill looked (and I'm sure tasted) nothing like theirs. Maybe I missed something, but that was the first and last time I've ever boiled a rib.
Now, when it's truly not possible to smoke them, braised ribs can be tasty, if not always very appetizing to look at. I've used Alton Brown's recipe a few times with good results. There's actually a restaurant in my area which won "best baby backs in Bucks" [the county in which it resides] a bunch of years in a row. I had them many times and they tasted good, but were just this side of mushy and the meat (once you got past the sauce) was actually brownish gray. Now I know why the place was so dimly lit. At any rate, I heard from different people who'd worked there that they either boiled or braised the ribs. I will give them some credit, though, because they never used the term "BBQ" to describe them.
Personally, I boiled ribs once, at my FIL's request (because he'd seen them cooked that way on America's Test Kitchen). I followed their recipe to a "T", but what ultimately came off the grill looked (and I'm sure tasted) nothing like theirs. Maybe I missed something, but that was the first and last time I've ever boiled a rib.
Now, when it's truly not possible to smoke them, braised ribs can be tasty, if not always very appetizing to look at. I've used Alton Brown's recipe a few times with good results. There's actually a restaurant in my area which won "best baby backs in Bucks" [the county in which it resides] a bunch of years in a row. I had them many times and they tasted good, but were just this side of mushy and the meat (once you got past the sauce) was actually brownish gray. Now I know why the place was so dimly lit. At any rate, I heard from different people who'd worked there that they either boiled or braised the ribs. I will give them some credit, though, because they never used the term "BBQ" to describe them.
