Preparation and cooking competition ribs

[Wayne Copeland]

Ribs can be the easiest of all meats to cook, but the biggest disappointment if you don't pay attention to what you are cooking. In competitions, I use St. Louis style ribs and not baby back, because a KCBS judge once told me that when he and the other judges open your entry, they feel slighted/cheated if those ribs are small and it only takes two fingers to hold it! Get to know your butcher and have them cut you a 3-3 1/2 lb. rack. Then turn it over and remove the membrane, and cut away any excess fat on the first three rib joints. The membrane is best removed by inserting a dull knife blade under it and grabbing onto it with a paper towel...any dull, blunt implement will do...but don't try to pull it away with your bare hands...it wont work! Season or marinade LIGHTLY, as rib is still pork and absorbs flavorings quickly. After 4-6 hours of seasoning or marinading, it's ready for the pit at 225-250 degrees...cooked meat side up! Pork ribs have a tendency to burn, so watch the temp and rotate the ribs around in your pit if they are getting burned on the end bone. After 2 hours, the seasonings should be sticking well to the crust and its ready for its first basting of apple juice...don't worry if the slab starts to look dry...spray it well and baste every 30 minutes thereafter. When the ribs are done, you will know it by the bone starting to pull from the meat. The meat should have shrunk about 3/4 of an inch from the end of the bone and the meat should pull away from the bone with just a little bit of resistance. The last one hour is the time to glaze with your favorite BBQ sauce, and this should be done on both sides every 10 minutes....5 times total. It is important to remember that tomato based sauces absorb smoke, so glaze over direct heat, not at the end of your smoker...that is the reason that most competition cooks bring a grill with them to cook-offs! After the glazing is done and the ribs have a dull reddish color, let them rest for 15-20 minutes before you cut them (meat side down) or the meat will splinter.

[Smokey]

I always wrap mine up in foil the last few hours after glazing and applying bbq sauce and it seems to work well. I've heard people say to wrap them and others say not to...same with brisket....to each his own I guess.

[Chadwick]

I must say that when it comes to ribs, Wayne's recipe is killer. I bought baby-back at HEB and used a bullet Brinkman smoker. As Wayne has mentioned, I removed the membrane on the underside and rubbed the ribs with a rub Wayne gave me. I placed the ribs on a rib rack and smoked them slow at about 190-200 degrees. Every 20 minutes I applied apple juice from a squirt bottle. I followed the above procedure for about 4 hours. I them wrapped the ribs in foil and continued to smoke them for about 2 hours at 250 degrees. LET ME TELL YOU, THIS RECIPE ROCKS. The bones fell off the meat. I used a combination of oak and cherry wood.

[Wayne Copeland]

Ribs may be wrapped in plasic wrap while marinating, but be sure to wrap TIGHTLY after seasoning so that the meat can absorb the seasoning/marinade before cooking. Make sure that you take the plastic wrap off about 1 hour before putting the meat on the pit and let it rest at ambient temp. for about 1 hour before cooking. You will have ensured that the seasonings/marinade adhere to the meat before cooking...Just food for thought.

[Wayne Copeland]

A full rack of St. Louis style ribs takes up alot of space on smaller smokers, but that does not mean you should not try to cook them even if space is inadequate. After seasoning/marinading, place the ribs on a table with the larger end bones up on their sides. You can then FOLD the ribs into a circular shape (ring) and either tie them with oven safe meat line, or use a skewer stick through the ends to hold them into the ring shape. You can then cook them on-end in the smoker with the sausage, veggies, etc. Just make sure to rotate the rib ring as you would a flat rack. Just food for thought.

[Wayne Copeland]

I have posted some information under the Judging section relating to how the judges score your ribs at contests...please check it out and feel free to leave comments. Thanks, Wayne

[Smokey]

Anybody have any experience with rib racks? I've cooked them just flat on the pit before and tied in a circle. Not sure if I should turn them while they're in the racks or just leave them alone.

[Smokey]

Here is a video I found online on rib prepping. Pretty basic stuff www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDgSFPRgut0

[Wayne Copeland]

I have been using a rib rack for several years...it holds 6 full racks (on end) and you can maximize your cooking space while cooking 6 St. Louis style racks at once. It is also a great tool for the charcoaler, but you need to turn the rack around every 20-30 minutes, as the rack closest to the coals will cook before the ones on the back side...Wayne

[Wayne Copeland]

If you boys want to cook ribs on the cheap, try a mustard basted slather before putting on the smoker/grill. Mix 3 tablespoons of your favorite seasoning in 2/3 cup of regular mustard, mixing well. Approx. 4 hours before putting the ribs on the pit, smear a light coating of the slather on both sides of the ribs and put them in a plastic bag for a few hours to absorb the seasoning. One hour before putting on the pit, let the ribs stand at room temperature for one hour. Then put them on the pit and cook for the allotted time frame. BUT...be sure to remove the membrane on the back side of the ribs before seasoning! The mustard will cook down (off) and the ribs will come out exceptional if you follow the low and slow method with a little apple-juice basting along the way. Enjoy and let us know if this helped you in cooking the pork sides.

[Wayne Copeland]

Has anyone tried marinading ribs before cooking? Please share your secret recipes/techniques with rest of us as this is something that has peaked my interests since the last American Royal.

[Smokey]

I usually use that lawrys 30 minute maridade.

[Wayne Copeland]

New rib cooking style is at hand. Since my team has not placed higher than 3rd in ribs the past year, I decided to re-evaluate. I followed alot of the BBQ cooking shows, contest winners, etc. Here is what I am now doing and I have to admit my ribs are kick-ass (and winning contests):

Apply your rub
Cook for two hours at 250 degrees, spraying with apple juice 2 X per hour
After 3 hours on the pit, put on 1 oz. Tiger Sauce, a handfull of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of honey---on BOTH sides. Wrap in foil and put back onto the pit.
After 1 1/4 hours, take out of foil and put them back onto the smoker. Cook for another 45 minutes (BBQ saucing on both sides 15 minutes later) and take off the smoker to let them rest. Won the last two contests! Try it boys...it works...but do not let the temp get past 250!

[inyourfacebbq]

I have got to give that a try after the holidays.

[inyourfacebbq]

Here is a recipe I found that Myron Mixon does. I must admit I tried this and my ribs turned out pretty good.

After the ribs are properly trimmed, set the racks in an aluminum baking pan and cover them completely with the rib marinade. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and let it sit for 4 hours, either in the refrigerator or, if you're at a contest or in a picnic situation, in a cooler packed with ice.

When are you ready to cook them, remove the ribs form the marinade. Pat them dry with towels. Apply the rub lightly around the edges of the ribs, over the back side of them, and on top. Then let the ribs sit, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, heat a smoker to 275 degrees.

Put the ribs in a baking pan, put it in the smoker, and cook for 3 hours. After the first 45 minutes of cooking, spritz the ribs. Continue to spritz at 15-minute intervals for the duration of the cooking time. (The ribs should be uncovered so they can absorb as much smoke as possible.)

Remove the pan from the smoker. Pour the apple juice into a clean aluminum pan. Place ribs in the pans, bone side down, and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Place the pan in the smoker and cook for 2 hours.

Remove the pan from the smoker and shut off the heat on the smoker. Remove the foil, and apply the glaze to the top and bottom of the slabs of ribs. Re-cover the pan with foil, return it to the smoker, and let the ribs rest in the smoker for 1 hour as the temperature gradually decreases.

Remove the ribs from the pan and let them rest for 10 minutes on a wooden cutting board. Then cut and serve.

Rib Marinade
Makes about 9 cups

1 liter ginger ale
1 quart orange juice
1 1/4 cups soy sauce
2 cups salt
2 1-ounce packages dry ranch dressing mix

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Stir well to thoroughly incorporate. Pour into a large bottle or other container and store, refrigerated, for up to 2 week.

Rib Spritz

Makes about 5 cups
"This rib spritz is easy to make and if you use it, it will change the way your ribs look and taste," Mixon says. You can make it up to a day in advance and store it in the spray bottle, unrefrigerated.

3 cups apple juice
2 cups white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons liquid imitation butter

To make rib spritz: In a large spray bottle (one that will hold at least 5 cups of liquid), combine all ingredients. Shake well to blend.

Hog Glaze

Makes 8 cups
2 cups Jack's Old South Vinegar Sauce or any favorite vinegar-based barbecue sauce
2 18-ounce jars apple jelly
2 cups light corn syrup

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend until throughly combined, about 3 minutes. Pour out into a clean bowl, using a plastic spatula to scrape it all. Store, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.