In all honesty, I love ribs, but I hate the ribs that are served in the vast majority of establishments. I rarely get ribs that are done correctly, as most tend to be either dry and leathery, or soft and mushy. What’s worse is that most of these establishments believe that basting the ribs with barbecue sauce will return them to their edible state. Well, they’re wrong…all it serves to do is add to my frustration by dirtying the food.
While very few, if any, chefs, table masters, or home cooks strive for a rubbery finish, the claim is heard that “falling off the bone” is the way to go. While I agree that the end goal is tender and soft, any competition rib that falls completely off the bone is considered completely overdone. A truly perfect rib will stick to the bone, but will fall off when pulled. So my goal with this post is to show you how to achieve a perfect prime rib at home. The key to good ribs has four components: friction, smoke, heat and time. Let’s start with the problem.
The goal of using a rub is to develop a base of flavor and create a crust or crust on the ribs. Depending on where you go and who you talk to, the rubs you’ll have to choose from will reflect regional influences. Some will be tangy and tangy, while others will be sweeter. I’m a fan of Caroline’s Rub’s pork and poultry mix, which has more of a Texas flavor, more salty than sweet. I like it sweet, don’t get me wrong, but I prefer my ribs tastier than sweet, so I let my choice of wood add the sweetness. Before applying the massage, the first thing I do is remove the thin skin that covers the back of the ribs. Using a fillet knife, I loosen it from one end, grab it with a paper towel, and then rip it off in one motion. While you don’t absolutely have to remove this skin, taking a few extra seconds to do so will definitely improve the cuteness of the end result. I then rinse and completely dry the ribs, following it up with a full coat of my chosen dry rub. The amount you use is entirely up to you. I like a thicker layer, some will prefer less. Next, take the coated ribs and wrap them well in plastic wrap, place them in the refrigerator and let them rest for at least 3 hours. This will give the seasoning time to soak in and flavor the ribs. Once the ribs have set, remove them from the refrigerator and allow them to return to room temperature before putting them in the smoker.
While the dressing adds an immediate kick of flavor, the smoke you choose will work to complement the dressing and add that flavor we all recognize as barbecue. With meats like pork ribs, I like to kiss the meat with walnut smoke and cherry woods. Pecans taste very similar to hickory, without the sharp bite that can sometimes overpower lighter rib meat. The addition of cherry wood to the mix serves to work with the pecan nut to sweeten the meat.
The next success factor is heat. While there are thousands of ways to cook ribs, many of which produce a really great product, I prefer slow-smoked ribs. Nothing gets my blood racing like the smell of slow-smoked barbecue. I’ve always found that higher temperatures result in tougher ribs, so I aim to keep a low heat level of around 215F to 225F in the smoker (or in your oven at home). This temperature range has not failed me yet. Once I have the smoker where it consistently maintains the temperature within this range, I will place the ribs on a rib rack, inside to cook.
Finally, the last factor in creating successful ribs is cooking time. While many people insert a thermometer into their ribs to determine doneness, I prefer to just look at the bones. For an average rack of baby back ribs, you can assume a cook time of 3 ½ to 4 hours at the temperatures I recommend. The easiest way for me to determine if my ribs are done is to do two steps, starting with the first at 3 hours: look at the bones. If I have a good ¼ – ½ inch sample of bone, I do step two, which is to take a toothpick and insert it into the meat. If it slides with little resistance, like sliding through butter, the ribs are done. You’ll want to watch them closely, as they’ll go from done to overdone pretty quickly.
Once cooked, I like to let the ribs rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the juices to distribute evenly within the meat, which will keep things tender and moist. Like I said before, I don’t like a mess, so I tend to serve the ribs dry, with a side of my favorite barbecue sauce for dipping.
Following this method has always provided me with succulent, moist, and truly satisfying ribs.