Competition Bar B Q Ribs Food

AWARD WINNING COMPETITION RIBS RECIPE

Steps:

• Prep. Remove the membrane from the slabs of ribs (read more on removing the membrane here).
• Season the ribs with Kosher salt. If you can, give the salt 1 to 2 hours to be absorbed. The process of salting in advance is called dry brining. The rule of thumb is 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat, but ribs consist of only about 50% meat, so use about 1/4 teaspoon per pound. You can simply eyeball it by sprinkling on the same amount of salt you would sprinkle on the ribs if they were served to you unseasoned.
• Fire up. Prepare a smoker for indirect cooking. Alternatively, you can set up a charcoal grill for 2-zone cooking by placing a chimney full of lit charcoal briquets on one side of the grill's charcoal grate in order to create direct and indirect cooking zones. Adjust the smoker or grill vents to bring the temperature to about 225°F (107.2°C) and add two to three chunks of your favorite smoking wood to the charcoal for flavor. On a gas grill, adjust the temperature knobs so that one half of the grill is off and the other half is heated enough to maintain a temperature of approximately 225°F (107.2°C) on the indirect side.
• Once the smoker or grill is ready, brush both sides of ribs with mayonnaise and season with Meathead's Memphis Dust dry rub.
• Cook. Place the slabs of ribs meat side up on the main cooking grate as far away from the heat source as possible. Cover the smoker or grill. Allow the ribs to smoke until the meat just begins to shrink back from the ends of the bones, about 3 1/2 hours.
• Lay out two double layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil approximately eight inches longer than the ribs. Cut the stick of butter into 1/2 tablespoon pieces and top each double layer of foil with two tablespoons of butter, one tablespoon of honey drizzled over the butter, and two tablespoons brown sugar sprinkled over the top. Lay the ribs meat side down on the butter, honey and brown sugar mixture. Place another two tablespoons margarine, a tablespoon of honey, and two tablespoons brown sugar evenly on top of the bone side of each slab of ribs. Fold up the sides of the foil to create a boat, pour in the apple juice, and loosely seal the foil.
• Place the foiled ribs sealed side up on the smoker or grill and cook until the ribs shrink back from the ends of the bones by 1/4 to 1/2 inch (6.4 to 12.7 mm), about 1 hour.
• Remove the ribs from the smoker or grill and cautiously open the foil packet to allow the steam to escape. Remove the ribs from the foil and set them back on the smoker or grill meat side up. Cover the smoker or grill and allow the ribs to cook until tender but not falling off the bone, about 20 minutes. We prefer to use the "bend test." Use tongs to pick up one end of the slab of ribs, then bend them slightly. If they are ready, the slab with bow until the meat starts to crack on the surface.
• When they are ready, brush sauce on both sides of the ribs and turn them meat side up on the smoker or grill. Cover the smoker or grill and cook until the sauce sets and becomes tacky, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Serve. Remove the ribs from the smoker or grill, and slice. For competition, set 4 to 5 ribs side-by-side in the turn in box and top with another 4 to 5 ribs.

BARBECUE ST. LOUIS PORK RIBS

Steps:

• Set a smoker to 225 degrees F.
• Combine the paprika, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, nutmeg and cayenne in a spice grinder. Process until a fine powder is formed, approximately 30 seconds.
• Pat the ribs dry and turn bone-side up. Trim excess fat and, if one end of the ribs is especially narrow, trim meat and bone to ensure even cooking. Remove the membrane on the underside of the ribs by inserting a rounded utensil, an upside-down spoon works well, between the membrane and the meat at one end of the slab. Carefully work the spoon under the membrane to loosen but not tear. Once enough has been loosened, use a paper towel to hold onto the membrane as you slowly pull it down the slab to remove.
• Sprinkle the ribs on both sides with the salt and brush both sides with the mustard. Sprinkle two-thirds of the spice mixture on the meat side of the ribs and the remaining third on the bone side.
• Once the smoker has reached 225 degrees F, add the wood chips or chunks and the ribs to the smoker.
• Smoke for 4 to 5 hours then test for doneness. There are four criteria that should be met in order for ribs to be done. First, the internal temperature of the meat should be 185 to 190 degrees F. Second, pick up each slab from the center with tongs and it should droop into a u-shape and crack slightly. Third, while holding with the tongs, and bouncing gently, the surface of the ribs should crack slightly. Lastly, the meat should pull easily off the bone but not fall off. If ribs pass all tests, remove them from the smoker and wrap in heavy-duty foil and rest for 15 minutes. If not, continue smoking for 45 minutes to 1 hour and test again until done.

BBQ RIBS ON THE GRILL

Steps:

• Preheat grill for low heat.
• Cut ribs in half and season with steak seasoning. Place ribs, bone-side down, in a foil pan; add water. Cover pan with a sheet of aluminum foil.
• Cook ribs on the preheated grill, adding water every hour if liquid has evaporated, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Add barbeque sauce to ribs and continue cooking for 30 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

BAR "B" BARN RIBS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or stock pot, cover ribs with cold water; add thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaf, celery and onion.
• Bring to gentle boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes or until ribs are tender.
• Remove ribs place in shallow glass dish.
• Set aside.
• (Strain cooking liquid and refrigerate or freeze to use as soup stock).
• Sauce.
• In small saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients, bring to gentle boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to blend flavors.
• Let cool.
• Cut strips of ribs into serving portions of 3 to 4 ribs.
• Pour sauce all over ribs in dish and marinate for 3 to 4 hours in refrigerator or for 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Remove ribs from sauce, reserving any remaining sauce.
• Cook ribs on greased grill over medium-hot coals or medium setting, turning and brushing occasionally with reserved sauce, for about 20 minutes or until meat is browned.
• NOTE:Double the sauce recipe for lots of basting sauce.