Originally published on September 13, 2014
I’ve always stayed away from putting ribs on the barbecue because whenever I did it, the flames would burn the outside in minutes, leaving me with a tough bark that coated reallytough meat, or that left the meat inside still very close to raw. But this summer was different. This summer I played around a lot more with indirect heat, and when you use this cooking method for barbecuing ribs, the results are exactly what you want – tender meat that almost, almost falls right off the bone (unless you accidentally poke your tongs through them when removing them from the grill the way I did. Then they all fall apart.)
Ingredients:
2 racks back ribs
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
1.) In a bowl combine paprika, chili powder, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix together thoroughly and then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Sprinkle this mixture entirely over both racks of ribs and rub into the meat, massaging as you go to really penetrate into the meat. Place in a casserole dish, cover with plastic wrap, and then place in the fridge. Let them sit for at least one hour, and up to overnight.
2.) After ribs have marinated in the rub, heat an indoor grill to medium heat (for the time being you’ll need to heat both sides of the ribs grill rack. When hot, turn off one side of the grill and close lid to keep warm and build up a bit of smoke inside.
3.) While the grill is heating, remove the ribs from the casserole dish and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Place on the side of the grill that does not have a burner turned on. Close lid, and let ribs cook for 2 – 3 hours, depending on their size, until they are fully cooked through and the meat pulls away from the bone after a slight tug on it.
4.) Leaving the grill on, remove ribs and unwrap them from the foil. Brush both sides of each rack liberally with the barbecue sauce and then place them back onto the grill, directly over the flame. Let them cook for another 5 minutes on one side, then flip and let cook for another five minutes, just until they are a bit charred and all sauce is heated through. Then turn off heat, place ribs on a serving platter and cut into portion sizes.
5.) Serve and enjoy!