What says summer more than a hot grill fired up with ribs cooking away!! I LOVE grilling, but I have never actually done ribs on the grill. I have always been rather intimidated. I can do a mean chicken breast or a perfect piece of fish, but give me ribs, or steak for that matter, and I clam up and never know how to get it JUST right. I was given an opportunity to do some ribs on the grill as part of a kick off to the Dibs On My Ribs Pork Recipe Cookoff! This contest is sponsored by Walmart, in conjunction with Kraft foods, McCormick and Tyson. This is a great contest folks! 2!! grand prize winners (one winner from each category) will receive a years supply of groceries, as well as attend the Memphis in May BBQ Event in Memphis! All recipes must include spareribs only!, McCormick Seasoning and Kraft BBQ sauce. (If you are doing a rub only recipe, you may omit the sauce!)
Let me tell you about how my adventure into the land of Ribs went! I found a great rack of ribs and learned online how to trim them up! This is important folks! It is critical to success! Then I found some basic rules for rib cooking, and I was ready to go! First, I trimmed, then I rubbed my rub. I used the McCormick Cinnamon and Chipotle grilling rub! It has a wonderful sweet and smoky flavor and smell! I also created some smoke bombs to add some smoky flavor to the meat as it cooked. Then onto the grill the ribs went. The way to cook ribs is with indirect heat, especially if you are using a gas grill as I was! They slowly cooked for about 45 minutes, then I wrapped them tightly in foil and used some apple juice to add a little more flavor. The foil steams them, which makes them tender and cooks them more quickly. I found out this is called the “Texas Crutch” method! Otherwise, the ribs need to cook for like 5-6 hours!!So after I crutch-ed them for about another 45 minutes, I put them back on the grill without the foil, still indirect heat, and basted them with sauce every five minutes for about another half hour. I used Kraft Hickory Smoke! I have always loved how robust and spicy it is! Then is was time for the moment of truth. A good spare rib shouldn’t fall off the bone, but it should pull clean off the bone with your teeth… again, another thing I learned! And guess what!! My ribs did just that!! They were AWESOME!!!!
I was completely impressed that I actually pulled it off the first time out of the gate!! It was well worth the over 2 hours it took to do them! I made it a real southern feast by also doing slow cooked beans (an AMAZING recipe from my mother’s cousin from Oklahoma) as well as corn on the cob, watermelon and cantaloupe. And just because, I finished it off with a strawberry rhubarb pie!This was a great way to get me out of my comfort zone with grilling! If you are a beginner or seasoned guru of ribs, this contest is for you. Even if you don’t want to submit your own recipe, you can just go vote and get some great ideas for your own backyard feasts! Happy grilling ya’ll!! Don’t delay, the contest deadline is August 12th! Be sure to check out the full list of rules too!!
