Author: Susanne at Dish With Me
**Some links on dishwithme.com are affiliate links. I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you click on a link and make a purchase from a partner company. I will NEVER recommend anything that I don’t personally use or love.**
PSA: I am posting this Grilled Baby Back Ribs recipe today, as well as my Rib Rub recipe so you will have plenty of time to grab all of the ingredients just in case you want to grill out on Labor Day. Good idea, right?
Baby back ribs, Rib Rub, a grill, barbeque sauce…the result? Pork perfection. Period.
Nice weather, getting together with family or friends, grilling good food, good times, maybe some cornhole… Sometimes, actually, more often than not, the simple things are the best.
Like my simple recipe for baby backs. My method for cooking these Grilled Baby Back Ribs is fairly quick, easy and painless and the result is pretty amazing. With my method you don’t have to worry about indirect heat, blah, blah, blah.
I’ve heard of people boiling ribs and then baking them…NO! Just NO. For juicy, flavorful, delicious baby backs you simply need to follow my 15, 15, 5, 5 and 5 method and keep the heat of the grill under control. The numbers are referring to minutes, by the way. You’ll see. This method works for me every single time. It is going to change your grilling game…just try it and see!
HELPFUL HINTS FOR GRILLED BABY BACK RIBS
The perfect temperature for cooking baby back ribs on the grill using my method is between 350°F and 400°F, more around the 350 range, especially after removing the foil. Now bigger ribs are a different story, but baby backs are smaller and thinner, therefore they can be cooked faster.
For more information on heat control: https://www.weber.com/US/en/blog/burning-questions/how-to-control-the-temperature-of-your-charcoal-grill/weber-29520.html
Two sheets of foil will be used to snugly wrap each rack of baby backs.
There is prep-work to be done prior to seasoning the ribs. First, after removing the ribs from their packaging, give them a quick rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Next, lay the ribs on a flat surface, meaty side down. There is a thin membrane on the bone side of the ribs that we want to remove. Using a sharp knife or a sharp pair of kitchen scissors, start at one end and slide the knife underneath this membrane and pry it up. Once you’ve pried the membrane up at one end, you should be able to grab it with your hands and pull it off.
Just remember the method is 15, 15, 5, 5 and 5. AND, USE A TIMER!
To those who are used to cooking ribs for hours, remember these ribs are smaller than the average ribs. Also, the foil is allowing the ribs to sort of steam, therefore allowing them to cook quickly.
I could easily make a barbeque sauce, but Sweet Baby Ray’s is the bomb, as far as I am concerned!
My Simple Loaded Baked Potato Salad is a must try with these ribs. It will be posted on 8/5.
GRILLED BABY BACK RIBS
Equipment
- Grill Weber is a great option
Ingredients
- 2 racks baby back ribs
- 1 batch rib rub my recipe, separate post
- 1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce regular
Instructions
- First step is to remove ribs from their packaging and give them a good rinse. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Next step is to remove the thin membrane from the boney side of the ribs. Using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, start at one end of the ribs and pry up the membrane. Once the corner of the membrane is lifted, you should be able to grab the membrane with your hands and pull it off.
- Take two long sheets of aluminum foil for each rack of ribs and place them together where they overlap by about 1/3. Place each rack of ribs on their own 2 sheets of foil.
- Rub each side of the racks of ribs with approximately 1/4 cup of the rib rub. Rub it into the meat.
- Fold up the foil so that the ribs are sealed tight.
- Let stand at room temperature while you light the grill.
- With my method, I do not use indirect heat, so I cover the whole bottom of the grill with charcoal. After the coals have heated up, use the upper and lower (damper)vents to control the heat. The optimal heat will be between 350°F to 400°F while the ribs cook in the foil. Once the foil is removed the goal temperature is 350°F.
- Please see my notes regarding heat control under my helpful hints section. It offers a link for more detailed instructions.
- Once the coals reach the desired temperature, place the foil covered ribs, meaty side up. Cover the grill with the lid.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes.
- At the 15 minute mark, flip the foil covered ribs to meaty side down. Cover the grill with the lid. Set timer for 15 minutes.
- At the end of this 15 minute mark, you will carefully remove the aluminum foil. from both racks of ribs.
- Using a brush, apply barbecue sauce to the meaty side of the ribs and place the meaty side on the grill. Apply barbecue sauce to the boney side of the ribs. Cover the grill with the lid. Set a timer for 5 minutes.
- Ensure the boney side of the ribs is covered with sauce and flip the ribs so that the boney side is now on the grill. Add barbeque sauce to the meaty side of the ribs. Cover the grill with the lid. Set timer for 5 minutes.
- At the 5 minute mark, add sauce to the meaty side of the ribs and place the ribs meaty side down onto the grill. Cover with lid. Set timer for 5 minutes.
- At this 5 minute mark, remove the ribs onto a cutting board and let the ribs sit for about 10 minutes.
- Using kitchen scissors or a sharp cleaver, cut the ribs between each bone.
- Top with more barbeque sauce, if desired.
- Enjoy!
