Juicy and succulent these barbecue ribs are made for the grill. Seasoned with a simple rib rub and topped with your favorite barbecue sauce these ribs with make sure you lick all of your fingers.

Ribs are some of my favorite things to eat during the summer. I love them because I don’t have to turn on my oven and get my house extra hot, I live in Arizona so the heat is intense. Another great reason is that I only have to use three ingredients the ribs, barbecue sauce, and rib rub. These ribs are tender and juicy and they are a wonderful addition to any barbecue or holiday gathering. Bring extra napkins but I am sure you will be licking your fingers instead.

In this recipe

Name: Grilled Barbecue Ribs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 95 min
Ingredients: 6 pounds pork ribs (2 racks); 1 cup barbecue sauce; ⅓ cup brown sugar (packed); 2 tablespoons smoked paprika; 1 tablespoon garlic powder; 1 tablespoon salt; 1 tablespoon ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon oregano; 2 teaspoons onion powder; 2 teaspoons ground mustard seed; 2 teaspoons chili powder; ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon

The key to this recipe is in its simplicity. There are really only three ingredients however I do show all of what is in the rib rub. I do break down the ingredients however you can find a scalable version in the hyperlink.

Pork ribs: you can use spare or baby back ribs for this recipe. Both of them work well for this recipe however you will have much more rub left over if you use baby back ribs.

Barbecue sauce: You will want to make sure that the sauce isn’t too high in sugar as it will scorch. If it is then wait until the ribs are done cooking to add. If you use a sauce that is thinner do the same thing.

Rib rub: will provide the smokiness and a bit of sweetness to the ribs. This will be the main source of flavor in the ribs.

Preparing barbecue ribs

Once you remove the ribs from their packaging you will want to make sure you pat them dry and dry them well. Then remove the membrane on the underside of the ribs. The reason you want to do this is because when the ribs cook this membrane does not soften but gets harder. This makes it difficult to chew through later. Be removing before cooking you don’t lose all of that lovely seasoning removing it after cooling.

Season both sides

One of the things you want to make sure to do is season both sides. While it sounds inconsequential to season that side as there is very little meat on it you will want to do it to make sure all of the meat gets some seasoning. Also seasoning the bottom first will help keep most of the rub on the meat when you put it on on the grill.

Cook them up

Since ribs are pretty fatty you will want to make sure you cook them over indirect heat. This will help prevent flare ups and burn the sugar on the ribs. Cook them with the meat side down for the majority of the time. This will make sure that they cook evenly and nicely. The reason you don’t want to rotate often is that the temperature can drop up to 200 degrees in the time you remove the lid flip the ribs and place the lid back on/down. Once they are done give the ribs 10-15 minutes to rest before slicing.

Looking for other rib recipes?

Watermelon Barbecue Ribs

Grilled Barbecue Ribs

Sean

Tender and delicious grilled ribs topped with your favorite barbecue sauce.

5 from 10 votes

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 35

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 775 kcal

Equipment

Metal tongs
Foil
Sheet pan
Brush
Bowl

Ingredients

6 pounds pork ribs 2 racks
1 cup barbecue sauce

Rib Rub

⅓ cup brown sugar packed
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons ground mustard seed
2 teaspoons chili powder
½ tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the grill to 400°F, 200°C or gas mark 6.
In a bowl combine all of the rub ingredients together and mix well.
Place the two racks of ribs on aluminum foil. Coat the underside of the ribs with enough rub to cover them. Flip over and spread enough of the rib rub to cover the ribs.
Place the ribs on the grill meat side down over indirect heat and cook for 75 minutes. Flip over and brush the meat with half of the barbecue sauce. Close the lid and cook for another 15 minutes.
Remove the ribs from the grill and brush with the remaining barbecue sauce.
Slice and enjoy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 775kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 38gFat: 56gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 191mgSodium: 810mgPotassium: 762mgFiber: 2gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 1107IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 3mg

Nutrition Disclaimer*

Keyword Barbecue, Grill, Ribs

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