Grilled spareribs or baby back ribs, get a boost first in the oven and then take a final sear on the grill.
Grilled Pork Spareribs or Baby Back Ribs
Now that the rain has moved outta here and the sun has resurfaced, I was in the mood to hit the grill for dinner today.
So as I write this it's March and I know that some of you are hunkered down inside due to unexpected spring ice storms and snowfall, but maybe this'll give y'all a glimmer of hope that summer is really just around the corner! And, maybe when y'all are relaxing and enjoying your summer, you'll think of us in the Deep South while we are melting right about that same time.
So I figured it'd be a good time to show y'all that other rib recipe I mentioned in my other rib post. Back in a day when I was doing yet another diet, Lisa, one of the gals on the board I was frequenting gave me this method.
Now first - here's what I know about the differences between baby back ribs and spareribs.
Spareribs are from the belly area of the hog. They are generally large and fairly meaty, but they do contain more fat, and consequently, more flavor than baby back ribs do. These are often referred to as St. Louis style ribs.And that's, well... pretty much all I know.
Baby back ribs or pork loin back ribs are from the loin area of the hog. They are much leaner and the most tender of the ribs. They are also the most expensive.
These you start in the oven and finish off on the grill, but nobody really has to know that!
Like the other ribs I recently posted, yes, these are very tender, but because they are seared on the grill, they hold up better to hand-holding and bone-gnawing, which if you think about it is about half the fun of eating ribs really.
Just remember, when you go to transfer the ribs from the pan to the grill, use a pair of long handled grill tongs to slide up underneath the ribs and maybe even a wide spatula and sort of gently guide them off of the pan onto the grill. Otherwise, these are tender enough that they may fall apart on you, especially the baby backs.
As I mentioned on the previous rib post, I always remove the membrane on spareribs. I don't find it necessary to do this on baby back ribs, but it can be tough on spareribs, so first you'll want to remove the membrane on the backside of the ribs. It's just a matter of getting up under it with a butter knife and pulling it up, then grasping it with paper towels and pulling.
Then, flip them over to the top side and you'll see an extra flap of meat. That is generally pretty tough and inedible meat to me, so I always remove it, though you can reserve it as a seasoning meat.
Lift it and gradually work the knife underneath and slice it off.
Until you have a clean rack of ribs that is ready to season! Now, if you buy your ribs "St. Louis Style" they are already trimmed up for you.
We are going to use steak seasoning. No, you did not read that wrong!
Lisa used Tone's Canadian Steak Seasoning, but I have used other kinds, such as this King Ranch steak seasoning, Weber Chicago Steak Seasoning, and McCormick Grillmates Montreal Steak Seasoning, all which season very nicely. Just use whatever kind of steak seasoning that's in your pantry, or whatever you like really, but Lisa used steak seasoning, so I use steak seasoning for this recipe too.
And of course, gotta have a little bit of my standby favorite Certified Cajun Slap Ya Mama seasoning. Love this stuff on, well... everything!
Sprinkle both seasonings very generously all over the ribs on both sides and rub in.
Lay the ribs on a foil lined baking sheet, bring the sides up and around to tightly wrap the ribs with several layers of foil so no steam escapes. Place into a preheated 250 degree F oven.
Bake at 250 degrees F for about 3 hours for a single rack of ribs, 3-1/2 to 4 hours for two racks, shifting the pans around about halfway through when doing two. When the ribs pull away from the bone like this, they are pretty much done, but we're gonna do the big finish on the grill.
As you see, these cooked ribs without the dry rub are much more pale than the ones that are open roasted and have the dry rub on them, but we're gonna resolve that here in a sec. Right now, you'll want to generously slather the ribs on both sides with some homemade sauce, or just use your favorite bottled sauce...
...and carry them out to the grill to sear them on both sides in a preheated and very hot grill. Again, remember, when you go to transfer the ribs from the pan to the grill, use a pair of long handled grill tongs to slide up underneath the ribs, gently grasp them and just kind of pull them off of the pan onto the grill. Otherwise, these are going to be tender enough that they may fall apart on you, especially if you are grilling the baby backs.
For those of you who like a rib with a chew, versus the super tender fall off the bone ribs many of us love, but you've had a pill of a time getting them tender with the grill, this is the rib recipe you have been looking for.
Now lookie here - that's what I'm talkin' about!!
For more of my favorite rib recipes, check out the collection on my Pinterest page!
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