Rib Recipes:
1. Baby Back Ribs
2. Sweet-and-Sour Baby Back Ribs
3. Ginger Rub
4. Sweet-and-Sour 'Cue Sauce
5. Smoky Chipotle Baby Back Ribs
6. Chipotle Rub
7. Smoky Chipotle 'Cue Sauce
When I was growing up, my dad would head to the grill on a Saturday, returning seven hours later with beautifully glazed baby back ribs. But making ribs doesn't have to be an all-day affair. You can have them on the table in three hours flat. Buy baby back ribs--they're meatier and more tender than spare ribs and worth the extra money. Then select a rub-and-sauce combination from our two flavor options: Smoky Chipotle or Sweet-and-Sour. Four ingredients or less make up the rubs (a before-cooking seasoning mixture), while bottled products are the base for the sauces. Then grill them upright in a rib rack (about a $15 investment). So, can ribs be easy and awesome? You betcha--here's how.
above, left: Kick back and relax--we've made grilling ribs as simple as possible with sensational results.
How to Grill Baby Back Ribs
Test Kitchens professionals Laura Martin and Vanessa McNeil share tips for grilling ribs using the Smoky Chipotle Baby Back Ribs recipe.
Don't skip rubbing the ribs with citrus fruit halves; the juice adds a perky zip to the flavor. You will find the canned chipotle chile peppers at the grocery store alongside other ethnic ingredients.
Remove the thin membrane on the back, or bone side, of each rib rack if you want the meat to almost fall off. Leave it on if you like the crispy texture that results while grilling or want to save prep time.
For best flavor, wrap seasoned ribs in plastic wrap to hold rub mixture close to the meat. Place each slab in a separate 2-gallon-size zip-top freezer bag, and refrigerate overnight. When ready to grill, unwrapping the ribs can be messy. Laura hangs a zip-top freezer bag on the grill handle, being careful that it doesn't touch the hot grill. Unwrap ribs over the bag, discarding plastic wrap into bag. Slide ribs into rib rack. Immediately remove bag from handle, and discard. (For testing purposes only, we used a Weber Rib Rack.) Vanessa says that ribs can also be placed directly on the food grate--however, expect to turn the ribs and manage the fire more often. Place an oven thermometer on the unlit cooking area of the grill. To maintain temperature, stoke the fire, and make sure vents are open.
When the meat is tender and done, bones should wiggle easily when moved, and the meat will be shrunk down from the bones. Slow the fire by partially or fully closing vents before basting. Pour sauce over ribs, guiding it to cover with a grill brush.
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