Having a BBQ rib competition at my house on Sunday...need help

[Squatch]

Alright folks, I want to win this thing, so I am looking for ideas for kick-ass-ribs. What are your award-winning recipes?

I can smoke 'em, grill 'em, or any other method.

Thanks a bunch!

[MissMillie]

1. We here in New England are not known for BBQ

but I wonder, is it ok to smoke for a while, and THEN grill?

I think that's how I'd like to eat 'em.

[XNASA]

2. Par-boiled, then grilled.

Works especially well for pork.

Sauce gets slathered on during the last 10 minutes or so only, and is allowed to carmelize slightly.

As for rubs, seasoning, etc.....you're on your own.

[Redstone]

13. Seconded. Parboiling is the best way to tenderize.

And don't forget to pull the membrane off the back (bone side) first!

Redstone

[JVS]

3. I think the ribs in a can are the best

:-)

[ohiosmith]

4. Here's the winner. Remember where it came from.

Poach ribs for 40 minutes in apple cider with bay leaf, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt. Use one table spoon of seasonings per rack. Let cool to room temperature. Coat with the pre-made sauce(a damn good ready made Raspberry Chipotle Sauce is available at Costco). Grill over medium heat until sauce caramelizes. You got the winner.

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup small diced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
2 pints fresh raspberries, rinsed
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt


Instructions
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft and slightly caramelized, 4 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Add the chipotles and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute. Add the raspberries and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Add the sugar and salt, and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened and reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool before using.

For a clear glaze, strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.

[EstimatedProphet]

5. Baby back ribs

Marinate in Worchester sauce and beer, enough to cover the ribs, 2/3 sauce, 1/3 beer. Mix in 4 or 5 cloves crushed garlic into the marinade, 1/2 tsp Tabasco, 1/2 cup rye whiskey. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Here's a good rub:
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup paprika
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons cayenne
2 teaspoons onion powder

Rub this on the ribs before putting on the grill. Put a drip pan in the grill next to the coals that is about the size of the rib dimensions-you want the ribs to be entirely over the drip pan. Put a beer in the pan. Put some hickory or mesquite chips over the coals. Grill over LOW heat for several hours-the temperature right over the drip pan should be realtively low-flip after an hour and then every hour after that until the meat is very tender (3-4 hours).

[ET Awful]

6. The slow and low is the key.

Cook 'em for hours over LOW heat, just be careful, when they're finally done, the meat is liable to fall of the bone when you try to get 'em off the grill :9

[EstimatedProphet]

7. Yeah-that's when you know they're good!

When you go to take them off the grill, and half the bones fall out...MMMMMmmmmmmm

[Gormy Cuss]

8. Now that's BBQ

My SO uses only a dry rub but the racks are coated the day before and the rub gets a change to meld a bit. We have a big Weber and for BBQ the coals are brought to heat then most are pushed to the sides and the drip pan sits on just a single layer of coals. That keeps the temperature low.

I don't know the exact dry rub mix but it's similar to yours, with the addition of cumin powder and a few other spices.

[tsakshaug]

9. my ribs

Cooked 16 lbs the other day, still eating with lunch
Need to start with good ribs!

Rub-mainly paprika, oregano, kosher salt and other things- rub the night before- if you make some slits in the fat on the back the rub goes in there
Mop sauce- wine vinegar, hot sauce, and other things like that

Set up smoker (with waterpan) for about 220 F for about 8-10 hours. Ignore for the first two hours, mop every hour afterwards.
They will be done when the bones feel floppy or they fall off the bone.
When they are done, coat the top with BBQ sauce and let it carmalize for 20 min to 1/2 hour.

[tsakshaug]

10. my smoker

[Squatch]

11. I was looking at getting one of those..

do you like it?

I'd like to also be able to cold smoke stuff.

[tsakshaug]

12. Love it

Holds the temp real well.
Doing a bunch of ribs using the side box is nice, or small smoking with the coal to one side.
I have a vertical water smoker that I have not used after I got this one.
The air circulates nicely

[Lochloosa]

14. Use wood from pecan trees if you can find it.

If not any nut tree wood will work.

http://www.biggreenegg.com/wood.htm

[fishnfla]

15. Quality meat,peel the membrane, low and slow, and dry rub

all good advice. Water pan in the smoker full of beer is nice.

A dry rub will be different than all the other sauces

[Wapsie B]

16. I pressure cook mine before grilling.

Par-boiling never seemed to get it just right for me. With pressure cooking I first put on a dry rub then cook with water and maybe beer or a little whiskey. Pressure cook about 10 minutes and let the cooker cool on its own. This process injects the meat with all those flavors, not just coating the surface. Get the grill ready!