Ribs on the Grill!!!!!!!!!

This is Jody's Husband guest posting today on one of my all-time favorite topics--grilling. My pit master hero is Steven Raichlen. He has several grilling shows on TV that I tune into as often as I can. He says that in order to call yourself a true pit master, you have to be able to grill 3 things really well--brisket, steak, and ribs. This is great, because I love all three.

I want to focus on ribs in this post, because I found a super recipe for ribs on the grill on Jody's favorite (mine too!!) recipe web site (look for recipe #30200). This recipe will get you 1/3 of the way to becoming a pit master. The recipe is Hickory Smoked/BBQ Baby Back Ribs. The recipe is for the grill only and specifically for charcoal grilling only (it can be done on gas but it is not recommended). You do not need to boil or bake or do anything to the ribs before putting them on the grill. I like this, because I like to let the grill work its magic. You will need to brine the ribs before cooking, as well as let them sit a maximum of overnight. Let's get started.

Hickory Smoked/BBQ Baby Back Ribs
Serves 4, 2 Racks

2(2 lb) racks of baby-back pork ribs or loin ribs (baby-backs were fabulous this way)

For the Brine:
1/2 cup salt or 1 cup kosher salt (I used regular salt)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 quarts cold water

For the Rub:
6 garlic cloves
8 large fresh basil leaves (I didn't have fresh, still turned out great!)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (I didn't have fresh, still turned out great!)
1 teaspoon fresh oregano (I didn't have fresh, still turned out great!)
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
2-4 tablespoons light brown sugar

1. Combine the salt, sugar and water in a large plastic container or non-reactive stock pot.
2. Place ribs in brine and refrigerate for one hour.
3. Meanwhile, combine all rub ingredients except sugar and grind into a green thick liquid with a food processor or immersion blender.
4. Remove ribs from the brine (after one hour) and pat dry with paper towels.
5. Brush or rub green liquid over both sides of the ribs, sprinkle with brown sugar and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
6. Place in refrigerator for a minimum of one hour (preferrably 4 hours). Leave them in overnight for a really flavorful treat. (I did overnight, and WOW!!!!!!)
7. Now to the grill. Remove grill grate and add charcoal or fill your charcoal chimney and place into the grill. I used a mixture of hardwood lump charcoal and dry hickory chucks for this recipe. I also soaked several dry hickory chunks in water for about 2 hours for adding to the lit grill for additional smoke flavor. It worked wonderfully!!! To light the grill, use a charcoal chimney if possible. If you do not have one, I stuck several sections of the evening paper under my pile of charcoal and pour a few splashes of vegetable oil onto the newspaper. Try not to use lighter fluid if at all possible.
8. Once the coals are hot and gray covered, set up the grill for indirect grilling by moving your hot coals on one half of your grill leaving no coals on the other half. If you are using a chimney, simply pour your hot coals on one side of the grill. Add the soaked hickory chunks onto the hot coals and watch that smoke billow. Yeah baby!!! Place your grill grate into place.
9. Form a pan large enough to hold the ribs with some heavy aluminum foil or parchment paper which ever you prefer (I used parchment paper). Place the ribs into the pan and add about a cup of water per pan if you use more than one. Make sure the pan is deep enough to hold the water. Place the pan(s) on the cool side of the grill. Place the grill cover onto the grill with the vent holes over the ribs. Be sure to open the vent completely.
10. Turn the ribs 180 degrees and over every 30 minutes. (I only did this once after 2 hours.)
11. Add additional charcoal and soaked hickory after about 2 hours.
12. Smoke the ribs for a total of 4 hours.
13. Brush on your favorite BBQ sauce for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking if desired.

There you have it. This is a great recipe for smoked ribs on the grill. Try this recipe and amaze your friends. Here is what my ribs looked like after trying this recipe:



They tasted GREAT!!!!!!!! I hope you enjoy trying this recipe. I'll work on steak for another time and brisket also. We'll see how it goes. Let me know how it goes for you and if you tweaked things a little. I'm always up for new ideas on how to grill better. Until next time, grill safe and grill often. See you.