No matter how they’re cooked, nothing says summer like a moist, delicious rack of barbecued ribs.
Ribs need to be cooked slowly to become tender and juicy. While one might think of ribs as needing to be smoked, that isn’t the case. There are several ways you can make mouthwatering barbecued ribs without the expense of buying a smoker; including the following.
Oven
Place ribs in a roasting pan with ½ inch of water in the bottom. Cover with foil and seal edges. Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours, turning over once after 1 hour.
If you don’t have a roasting pan, simply use a cooking sheet and cover tightly with foil. Place an oven-safe pan of water next to the ribs or on another shelf in the oven.
For wet ribs, after 2 hours, add a generous coat of your favorite BBQ sauce and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
Grill
Wrap tightly in foil and grill over low heat (around 250 degrees) for 3 hours, turning once half-way through.
For web ribs, during the last 15 minutes of cooking time, coat the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce.
Slow Cooker (wet ribs)
Place ribs in slow cooker, cover with your choice of sauce and cook 8-12 hours on low.
One thing to remember about cooking ribs, you need to set it and forget it. No matter which way you’re cooking them, it’s important that the temperature remains steady. The more times you peek at the meat, the more heat is released and the less tender and juicy the ribs will become. In addition, it will take longer to cook – something the family will not like!
Rub Ingredients
8 Tbsp. Paprika
4 Tbsp. Powdered Garlic
4 Tbsp. Chili powder
3 Tbsp. Black Pepper
3 Tbsp. Kosher Salt
2 Tbsp. Celery seed
1 Tbsp. Oregano
1 Tbsp. Thyme
1 Tbsp. Cavender’s Seasoning
Favorite BBQ Sauce – homemade or store bought (optional)
Directions
In a medium size bowl, add all spices and mix together.
Note: You may have more rub mix than necessary for your ribs. If so, save it in a Ziploc bag or sealed container for another time.
Rinse beef ribs and allow excess water to drip away.
Line a flat baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier cleanup. Lay ribs on sheet.
Thickly coat both sides of ribs. Here we’ve also added a few boneless country ribs for those who don’t like bone-in beef ribs.
We’ve chosen to cook our ribs in the oven this time. To do this, simple place them on a cooking sheet as we have and cover tightly with foil, sealing the edges. Place an oven-safe pan of water next to or below the ribs on another rack.
Cook at 250 Degrees for 2 hours, turning once half way through.
For wet ribs, after 2 hours, add a generous coat of your favorite BBQ sauce and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
