GrillBarbecue
Indirect grilled ribs
A kettle, a cool side, lid down. Ribs without a smoker — still a bend test, still bark.
Made it?
2 hr 30 min · 30 min hands-on · pull 195°F · rest 10 min
Ingredients
4 lb on the fire · ~2.2 lb to the table · 4 plates at 8 oz
- St. Louis spare ribs1 rack (4 lb)
- mustard2 tbsp
- rib rub1/4 cup
- barbecue sauce (optional)1/3 cup
- hickory or apple, if you have it1 chunk
Method
- 1
Bank coals to one side, or light one gas burner. Target 275–300°F on the cool side. A wood chunk on the coals is enough smoke.
- 2
Membrane off, mustard, rub. Ribs on the cool side, bone down, lid closed, vents barely open.
- 3
About 2 hours in, check. Wrap if they look dry. Continue until the bend test, 2½–3½ hours total.
- 4
Sauce if you want, then 2 minutes over the hot side to set it. Rest 10.
If you don’t have it
- Kettle → Gas, one or two burners. A foil packet of chips on the lit side is enough smoke.
- St. Louis → Baby backs. Shorter. Start checking at 90 minutes.
Same cook, different day
No wrap
You want bark. Keep the cool side at 275 and leave them alone. Sauce at the end only.
Mop
They look dry at 90 minutes. Cider vinegar and water. Two passes.
Overnight dry brine
You can plan. Salt only the night before. Rub at fire time.
On the plate
With this, try
- With this dish, try making pinto beans.
Start when a packer wraps, or at the beginning of a shoulder. Soaked beans, smoked hock, onion, chili. Simmer until creamy. Salt late.
2 hr 30 min
- With this dish, try making vinegar slaw.
Anytime. Better after an hour in the fridge. Cabbage, carrot, cider vinegar, a pinch of sugar, salt, pepper. No mayo if the meat is already rich.
20 min
- With this dish, try making skillet mac.
In the oven while a roast rests, or the last stretch of a smoke. A real béchamel, cheddar, a breadcrumb top. Do not start it at the same time as a packer and expect timing to match.
40 min