Here’s a tender and juicy recipe for grilled baby back ribs or St. Louis cut ribs. Salt in citrus brine, grill and glaze with a sweet bourbon sauce.
As any southerner will tell you, the proper way to cook ribs is to grill them “low and slow” in a purpose-built smoker. But not everyone has a smoker, and not all of us have the time or patience to watch the ribs cook for several hours.
The following is a recipe for spare ribs that have been soaked in a flavorful citrus brine and then grilled over indirect heat for about an hour.
Salting is a useful technique in this case, since it’s easy to overcook pork ribs on a grill, but because the brine cushions the meat with extra moisture, the ribs are still tender and won’t get as dry even if you do it on the grill They end up overcooking a little.
This recipe is adapted from Andrew Schloss’ and David Joachim’s Mastering the Grill: The Owner’s Manual for Outdoor Cooking.
Types of ribs you can use in this recipe
- honey back
- st louis
- beef
- Spare ribs
- country style
How to tell when ribs are cooked
The grilling time for ribs depends on the type and size of the ribs. These ribs can take anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes on the grill.
A meat thermometer is the most accurate way to determine doneness. The ribs are done when the thermometer reads 155°F.
If you don’t have a meat thermometer, use a stand with tongs in the middle. When the ribeye starts to fold and the ribs start to separate, they’re done. You can also poke a toothpick into the meat in multiple places. If the toothpick slides in and out easily, the ribs are done.
Sides that go perfectly with grilled ribs!
- Grilled corn on the cob
- No mayo slaw
- Classic potato salad
- potato skins
- Hurricane Cocktail
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Grilled Spicy Citrus Ribs with Bourbon Glaze
St. Louis style ribs are spare ribs that have been trimmed of skirt meat and excess gristle. They are meatier than baby back ribs. Baby back ribs are smaller and leaner than St. Louis style ribs and can cook faster (and dry out more easily).
ingredients
For the ribs:
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2 shelves ribs St. Louis-style spare ribs or baby back ribs (approx 4 lb)
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oil for the grill grate
For the brine:
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1 1/4 Cup Freshly squeezed orange juice (about 3 oranges)
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1/2 Cup Freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
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1/4 Cup Freshly squeezed lime juice (1-2 limes)
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1/4 Cup water
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2 tablespoon kosher salt
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1 teaspoon dried thyme
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1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the glaze:
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1 Cup bourbon
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1/2 Cup Brown sugarlight or dark
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1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
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2 teaspoon kosher salt
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1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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2 tablespoon butter
method
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Prepare the brine:
Mix juices and water and measure in a measuring cup. You should have exactly 2 1/2 cups of liquid. If you have less, add enough water to have 2 1/2 cups of liquid, if you have more, discard the excess. The right ratio of liquid to salt is important for the brine to function properly.
In a medium bowl, combine liquids and add other brine ingredients – salt, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Stir for half a minute until the salt has completely dissolved.
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Prepare the ribs:
Remove the thin membrane lining the concave side of each rib cage. This will make it easier for the brine and seasoning to penetrate and for slicing and eating when the ribs are done. To loosen, insert a blunt knife edge between the diaphragm and the ribs. Grasp the loosened membrane and pull away to remove.
Cut the racks in half. Place in a ziplock plastic freezer bag. Put the brine in the bag. Squeeze the excess air out of the bag and seal it. Massage the brine into the ribs. Place the bag of brine and ribs in a bowl (in case of spillage) and place in the refrigerator.
Chill in the brine for 3 to 6 hours. Note that brining for too long can oversaturate the meat with the brine. So stick to the 3 to 6 hour time frame.
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Prepare the bourbon glaze:
Heat bourbon with sugar, paprika and salt. Stir in the butter until melted. Set aside or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Warm up before use. You can also prepare while the meat is cooking.
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Prepare the grill for indirect heat:
For a gas grill, heat the grill to a medium heat of 300 to 325°F with the center burners off (for a 3 or 4 burner grill) or one burner off (for a 2 burner grill).
For a charcoal kettle grill, use 3 to 4 pounds of briquettes pushed to one side of the grill. A disposable aluminum drip tray next to the briquettes, underneath where the meat will be, helps make your grill easier to clean. (I forgot this time, notice no drip tray in the photo, and now the grill is a mess.)
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To grill the ribs and regulate the grill temperature:
Remove the ribs from the salt bag. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels. Coat the grill grates with olive oil or rapeseed oil. Place the ribs on the side of the grill, away from the heat source, either gas or briquettes. Cover the grill.
If using a gas grill, lower the burners to maintain a temperature of about 300°F to 325°F in the grill.
When grilling with charcoal, cover the grill so that the air vent on the top of the kettle is directly over the ribs. This way the smoke from the charcoal will flow over the ribs on the way out of the grill.
Adjust the ventilation openings so that the air flow is greatly reduced. Reducing the size of the vents is one way to control the temperature inside the grill and keep it low. Fire thrives on oxygen, so if you reduce the oxygen, you reduce the amount of combustion and heat. If you close the vents too much, the charcoals will give off too little heat, so the trick is to strike a balance – enough airflow to keep the charcoals alive, but not too much, or the grill will overheat and Your ribs will overcook.
Try to maintain a temperature of around 300°F to 325°F in the grill. If you’re using a charcoal grill that doesn’t have a built-in thermometer, you can run a meat thermometer through the grill’s vent to read the temperature.
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Turn the ribs:
After 20-25 minutes of cooking, use tongs to turn the rib racks over. If you are grilling with charcoal, also shift the ends of the ribs so the end that was facing the coals is now facing the rim of the grill.
After another 15 to 20 minutes, use a meat thermometer to check if it’s done. They’re done and ready to peel off at 155°F, but you want to get to them about 10 minutes before applying the glaze.
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Glaze the ribs:
At around 140F, start applying the spicy bourbon glaze. Brush the ribs with the glaze syrup, turning and brushing the ribs until the syrup is gone. When an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ribs reads 155°F, the ribs are ready to be removed from the grill.
Note that depending on the amount of heat in the grill and the size of your ribs, the ribs can be ready in as little as 45 minutes or as long as 90 minutes. If the grilling temperature stays closer to around 350°F, the ribs will be done quicker. It’s difficult to keep a charcoal grill below 350°F, although ideally for these ribs you want a lower temperature, closer to 300°F. Also, once again, note that baby backs are smaller than St. Louis style and cook faster.
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Serve Ribs:
Cut into 1 or 2 rib sections and arrange on a large serving platter.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 415 | calories |
| 18g | Fat |
| 35g | carbohydrates |
| 7g | protein |
