The Best Rib Recipes
Everyone say it with me: RIBS! That’s always how I feel when I know they’re for dinner — all caps, freakin’ stoked.. Tender ribs are so delicious, and there’s really nothing like them. It always feels like a party when a rack of ribs are on the menu. I know cooking the barbecue ribs can be intimidating if you’re not sure of the best way to go about it, which is what I’m here for. I’ve got a roundup of my favorite recipes, along with all the tips and tricks you’ll need to make the best ones out there. Table of Contents Why You’ll Love RibsHow to Cook the Best RibsPrep BasicsCooking & SmokingFinishing and ServingMy Favorite Rib RecipesPork RibsBeef RibsLamb RibsWhat to Serve with RibsFor More Smoked PorkLeftovers and ReheatingFAQsFlavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire Why You’ll Love Ribs How to Cook the Best Ribs Prep BasicsCooking & SmokingFinishing and Serving Prep Basics Cooking & Smoking Finishing and Serving My Favorite Rib Recipes Pork RibsBeef RibsLamb Ribs Pork Ribs Beef Ribs Lamb Ribs What to Serve with Ribs For More Smoked Pork Leftovers and Reheating FAQs Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire Why You’ll Love Ribs Bone tender, juicy, flavorful, enough to scale up and feed a crowd — what’s not to love? They’re so freakin’ delicious with your favorite dry rub and homemade BBQ sauce. Just keep in mind that while the process of cooking is very easy, it does take a long time. It’s all just about heat management. For more of my favorite saucy BBQ recipes, check out Honey Fire BBQ Wings, Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich, Honey Bacon BBQ Chicken Lollipops and Western BBQ Burger. How to Cook the Best Ribs Prep Basics Choosing Your Cut You’ll hear the most about three types of ribs: baby back ribs, St. Louis style ribs and spare ribs. Baby backs are incredibly popular, and for good reason. They usually have more meat on the top of the ribs than on the sides of the ribs. The bones are more curved and they come from the upper part of the pig’s back. St. Louis style ribs and spare ribs are actually two names for the same cut. They have more meat between the bones and fat and come from the belly of the pig. The meat on St. Louis style ribs isn’t always as tender as baby back ribs, but the flavor is awesome. Which one you’ll choose depends on the recipe, but I truly believe you can’t go wrong. Trimming The first thing you’ll want to do is trim the excess fat so you don’t have any flare-ups on the grill. A rack also has a silver skin on the back of the ribs, so you’ll need to remove this thin membrane before cooking. First, flip your ribs so the bones are curled toward you. Then, use your fingers or a paring knife to slide under the membrane and lift it to remove that first piece from the bones. Finally, grab a paper towel and pull slowly but firmly across until you’ve removed the whole thing. Some recipes may also have you cut the rack into individual ribs to cook them, so just double-check before you get started. You’ll want a sturdy cutting board and sharp knife for that job. Seasoning I find it best to slather them with mustard and use a spice rub before you put them in the smoker. You can also use a mop sauce or your favorite barbecue sauce while you’re cooking to keep them most, then get that delicious caramelization at the end. Add flavor to everything you’re cooking shop over the fire spice lines Cooking & Smoking There are a couple ways I like to do this. If I’m cooking a full rack, I use indirect heat at a low temperature for slow cooking and cook the ribs for several hours. That mop sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce every 30-45 minutes keeps them tender. If I’m cooking individual ribs, a crutch is foolproof way to get tender, flavorful ribs. A crutch involves wrapping the meat in aluminum foil to concentrate the heat, reduce evaporation and speed up the cooking process. I usually put the meat in a foil pan. Then, you can add all sorts of delicious ingredients — soy sauce, butter, beer and even whisky. I cover the whole pan tightly with a foil lid and get fall-of-the-bone ribs in no time. Finishing and Serving For the indirect cooking method, the racks will finish on their own since they’re already directly on the smoker. Make sure you let them rest for about 15 minutes after you take them off the grill so we can lock in those flavors and juices! When I’m cooking in the crutch, once the meat is up to temp, I’ll put them back directly on the hot grill for another 20-30 minutes to get those deep flavors and caramelization. Then, it’s all about serving and enjoying these freakin’ delicious ribs. My Favorite Rib Recipes Now that we’ve gone through the process to make the best ribs, here’s the roundup of my favorite recipes! Be sure to let me know in the comments which ones you tried and liked the best! Pork Ribs Sticky Fried Ribs Recipe Fried Sticky Ribs for the win! View Recipe Smoked Party Ribs Smoked party ribs are a freakin' delicious barbecue recipe to share with friends and family. View Recipe Honey Fire Party Ribs Honey fire party ribs is a sweet and spicy take on party ribs, a viral trend recipe. View Recipe Habañero Peach Smoked Ribs These Habanero Peach Smoked Ribs are smoked until fall-apart tender, then finished off with a sweet and spicy Habanero Peach BBQ Sauce. View Recipe Smoked Ribs with Bourbon Mop Sauce Smoked Ribs with Bourbon Mop Sauce to showcase our Sticky Bourbon Brown Ale! View Recipe Nashville Hot Smoke Fried Ribs Nashville Hot Smoke Fried Ribs for some pork ribs that pack a punch! View Recipe Cherry Cola Spare Ribs Cherry Cola Spare Ribs for a tangy, savory meal! View Recipe Peanut Butter and Jelly Sticky Ribs These Peanut Butter and Jelly Sticky Ribs are smoked until tender, breaded and fried, then smothered in a sweet and spicy PB&J BBQ sauce. View Recipe Huli Huli Ribs with Sriracha BBQ Sauce Huli Huli Ribs with Sriracha BBQ Sauce for a Hawaiian inspired meal right at home. View Recipe Crown Rack of Ribs Crown Rack of Ribs are pork ribs, seasoned, smoked, stuffed with potatoes and topped with beer cheese! View Recipe Maple Gochujang Rotisserie Ribs Maple Gochujang Rotisserie Ribs for your next grilling night! View Recipe Sweet Teriyaki Sake Smoked Ribs Sweet Teriyaki Sake Smoked Ribs are all things good. Complete with a Sake BBQ glaze, these ribs are tender, juicy and so freakin’ delicious! View Recipe Jalapeño Watermelon BBQ Ribs Jalapeño Watermelon BBQ Ribs just in time for your 4th of July celebrations! I’ve seen a lot happening with watermelon lately, and thought I’d jump on the bandwagon but with my own spin. View Recipe Maple Cajun Smoked Ribs After falling in love with how maple syrup pairs with spicy food, I decided to venture even further out with these Maple Cajun Smoked Ribs. View Recipe Teriyaki Ribs Get your offset smoker going with these Smoked Honey Teriyaki Ribs. Using my Oklahoma Joes Highland, we make some epic ribs! View Recipe Maple Guinness BBQ Pork Ribs Crush any gameday with these Maple Guinness BBQ Pork Ribs. With malty sweetness from Guinness Draught and savory bbq sauce, these ribs will be a touchdown. View Recipe Molasses Espresso St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs Crush the backyard with some new spareribs recipe! This is the perfect cook to have while watching the NASCAR race! View Recipe Spicy BBQ Ribs Delicious and spicy pork ribs smoked over the fire then lathers & caramelized in bbq sauce. View Recipe BBQ Maple Bourbon Ribs Maple syrup makes these ribs sweet and delicious. View Recipe Beef Ribs Rotisserie Beef Ribs Rotisserie Beef Ribs brings the best of slow cooking to your backyard, yielding fall-off-the bone tender beef smothered in a flavor-packed chimichurri sauce. View Recipe Smoked Garlic Jalapeño Beef Ribs Smoked Garlic Jalapeño Beef Ribs for some tender, juicy and beef. View Recipe Gaucho Beef Ribs Gaucho Beef Ribs for you South American inspired dinner! View Recipe Smoked Wagyu Beef Back Ribs Juicy and well marbled beef back ribs thrown on the smoker and cooked till they fall off the bone. Maybe add some chimichurri? View Recipe Chipotle Black Pepper Smoked Beef Ribs These Smoked Beef Ribs will be the perfect outdoor cooking experience when you use high quality beef from Global Animal Partnership! View Recipe Smoked Jack Daniels Beef Ribs Slowly Smoked Jack Daniels Beef Ribs are perfect for a hearty and adventurous dinner. Try them out now! View Recipe Braised Beef Short Ribs The secret of this Braised Beef Short Ribs recipe is the slow cooking that happens in the Dutch oven over the elegantly designed Breeo fire pit. View Recipe Grilled Beef Short Ribs These Grilled Beef Short Ribs with melted chimichurri butter are cooked over a smokeless firepit until tender and served with crispy smashed potatoes. View Recipe Tomahawk Beef Short Ribs Tomahawk Beef Short Ribs for an epic dinner. View Recipe Rotisserie Smoked Short Ribs Try my Rotisserie Smoked Short Ribs on your grill now. They are grilled to make sure you get both smoky and savory flavors on your beef ribs! View Recipe Grilled Korean BBQ Short Ribs Everyone loves some good short ribs. Try these Grilled Korean BBQ Short Ribs so that you do not miss out! View Recipe Beef Rib Sandwich My take on the Beef Rib Sandwich is a fun South American-style way of cooking beef ribs over the fire. The tender beef, zesty chimichurri, and melty cheese are a combo that is so freakin' delicious! View Recipe Lamb Ribs Honey Chipotle BBQ Lamb Ribs BBQ Lamb Ribs like you have never had them before. Doused in a Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce while being smoked over fire. Tender and delicious! View Recipe BBQ Lamb Ribs Slowly roasted BBQ Lamb Ribs for Easter! Cannot be beaten. View Recipe What to Serve with Ribs Ribs are such a classic BBQ meal that it makes sense to keep it classic with the sides. The jalapeno cheddar cornbread highlighted in this recipe is so freakin’ delicious, and you can do a green salad, broccoli slaw or coleslaw as a vegetable. For More Smoked Pork Leftovers and Reheating For leftovers, wrap them in foil or an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-5 days. A low, slow oven is the best way to reheat these juicy ribs so they don’t dry out. Place the meat on a baking sheet, cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil and reheat at 200-205 degrees. FAQs Why do ribs take so long to cook? Ribs have a lot of fat and connective tissue, which means they need more time to break down and redistribute the fat and flavor. You also want to cook them at low temperatures, around 200-250 degree F, so that process can happen properly. What BBQ rub is best for ribs? ​Anything with brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and smoked paprika is so freakin’ delicious. You can also make your own or check out my rubs and blends on Spiceology! What do you like better, beef or pork ribs? ​They’re really different! Beef ribs are larger and have more fat, so they tend to be better when you braise them. Pork has a milder flavor, so they can be more versatile. But my favorite is whichever one is on my plate, they’re both great and full of flavor. Get The Cookbooks! Flavor X Fire & FOOD X Fire By Derek Wolf All the major tastes—salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami—are explored in depth, along with an investigation of other components you should consider when it comes to flavor, such as aroma, heat, and texture. Derek Wolf Derek is the driving force behind Over the Fire Cooking. He started cooking with live fire in 2016 and decided to start a social media page so his friends and family could follow the journey. Fast forward to today and Over the Fire Cooking has spread across multiple platforms with millions now following Derek's fire cooking journey. He's a southern fellow who enjoys everything from classic BBQ to Central and South American inspired dishes. Whatever he's cooking up, it's guaranteed to be so freakin' delicious!