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Ribs 101: Choose your cooking method By Sarah Lemon Jul 13, 2022 12:45 PM A A 5 View all photos Smoked Ribs [Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch] Smoking ribs remains the gold standard Slow-Cooker Ribs [Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch] Boiled and Grilled Ribs [Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/TNS] Oven-Roasted Ribs [Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch] Oven-Roasted Ribs [Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch] I used to be a smoker. Er, make that a smoker of meats, fish, potatoes, veggies and such. The apparatus that fueled that habit is no longer in my culinary repertoire. When my husband of 15 years and I parted ways, the Recteq wood-fired pellet smoker that resided on our covered deck, adjacent to the kitchen, went with him. Initially skeptical of the Recteq’s hefty price tag, I was won over by its utility and confinement of cooking smells to the outdoors — in any weather. The smoker produced not only Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas ham but sausages, burgers, pizza, kebabs and a reliable family favorite: ribs. Sophisticated temperature controls — as low as 180 F — make the Recteq an ideal tool for rendering ribs’ fat and softening connective tissue while imparting that inimitable barbecue flavor and pink smoke ring. But absent the Recteq, I can get my ribs fix with an appliance that couldn’t be farther away in function and form: the Instant Pot. While similar to preparing ribs in a slow cooker, the Instant Pot accomplishes the feat in a fraction of the time and eliminates the step of removing ribs’ silver skin. Last week, I made meltingly tender lamb ribs — glazed with homemade mango barbecue sauce — in about two hours. After 90 minutes in the Instant Pot, the ribs — basted with sauce — spent another 30 in our air fryer. Consigning the latter appliance to the garage gives us roasting, baking and broiling options in summer that don’t heat up the house. My hybrid approach, I like to think, improves on strictly oven-roasting ribs, a last-resort method, in the opinion of former St. Louis Post-Dispatch food writer Daniel Neman. Achieving proper texture, the oven doesn’t impart a smoker’s depth of flavor, Neman acknowledged. But the end result is still ribs, which is better than not having ribs. The hands-down best way of preparing ribs, of course, is smoking. The most traditional flavor and texture of Southern barbecue are achieved in a smoker. More mainstream cooks can approximate the process with foil packets of wood chips in gas grills at low temperatures. A slow cooker is Neman’s runner-up pick for ribs: “They come out tender, but with just enough resistance to your bite, and have a delectable flavor, meaty and full.” Ribs’ duration — as many as eight hours — in a slow cooker is time cooks can spend away from the kitchen. Not only quicker than a slow cooker but more vigorous, the Instant Pot’s pressure-cooking component makes ribs even more succulent, the membranes a mere memory. Or soften up those fibers by boiling ribs, which sacrifices some flavor, said Neman. The ribs then regain their savor through grilling over direct heat. Ten minutes, said Neman, is all it takes to finish off nearly cooked ribs with a mouthwatering taste of flame and smoke. Whatever method the cook chooses, Neman concedes, ribs are “practically impossible to cook badly.” What are the different cuts of ribs? The most popular ribs are baby back, which come from the top part of the rib cage. They have the most meat of all the rib cuts, and are also the quickest and easiest to cook. Spareribs are cut just below baby back ribs. They have more marbling between the bones, and thus more flavor, but they also are not as tender as the baby backs. St. Louis-style ribs are essentially spareribs, but are cut shorter so they don't have the tips on the bottom. Rib tips are ribs’ toughest part. What is the skin, and does it have to be removed? What people call the "skin" actually is a membrane, the pleura. When cooked, it becomes tough and chewy, and most people find it unpleasant to eat — however, it is edible (and some like it). It usually is best to remove it, although leaving it on when using a slow cooker helps to hold the rack together. To remove it, simply slide a thin, sharp knife between the bone side of the ribs and skin to loosen enough of it to be able to grab it. Hold it with a clean towel or paper towels and pull the skin off the ribs. It comes off baby back ribs very easily; it takes more effort with spareribs and St. Louis ribs. If smoking ribs, which wood to use? Hickory is a good place to start; it produces perhaps the most familiar smoke flavor. But go easy on the chips because too much hickory smoke can add a bitter note to meat. Fruit woods such as apple (which won't impart as much flavor) and cherry are mild, and are good to mix with other woods. Mesquite is delicious and unmistakable, but it can easily become harsh, so be sure to use it sparingly. Oak is not traditionally used with pork, except in East Texas, where post oak grows like a weed and is used to barbecue everything. When should ribs be sauced? Most barbecue sauces have sugars in them (the vinegar-based sauce of North Carolina is a significant exception). Sugars burn quickly, ruining barbecue. If cooking at a low temperature, such as in the smoker, oven or slow cooker, do not apply sauce until the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking. If cooking at a high temperature, such as finishing under the broiler or on a grill over direct heat, do not add the sauce until the last three to five minutes. Some experts don't even put a sauce on at all while the ribs are cooking. They serve the sauce on the side. A few purists disdain sauce entirely and don’t use it, but such extremism shouldn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm for ribs. Reach features editor Sarah Lemon at 541-776-4494 or [email protected]. Tribune News Service contributed to this story. Smoked Ribs 3 racks baby back ribs or 2 racks spareribs 3/4 cup spice rub (see repeated recipe) 1 cup wood chips, for smoking 1/3 cup apple juice 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar Chipotle barbecue sauce or favorite barbecue sauce (optional) Remove membranes from bone-sides of the ribs by slipping a thin, sharp knife between meat and membrane. Pull up on membrane with knife until you can grip it with your thumb (use a towel or a paper towel for a better grip). Lift membrane off meat and discard. Coat both sides of ribs with spice rub and rub into meat. Refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours or let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Do not keep out of refrigerator for more than 1 hour. Meanwhile, soak wood chips in water for at least 20 minutes if small or 1 hour if larger chunks. Wrap wet chips in aluminum foil and cut 4 slits in top of package. Prepare a grill for indirect heat. Light grill and use dials or vents to keep temperature very low, 250 to 275 F. Try not to go above 300 F. Place wood-chip package in center of coals or directly on top of gas flame. Place ribs, bone-sides down, on grate and close cover. If using charcoal, more coals will need to be added every hour. Mix together the apple juice and cider vinegar. After 1 hour of cooking, brush this mixture sparingly over ribs. Cover and continue cooking. Every 30 minutes, brush more liquid sparingly over top of ribs. Baby back ribs will be done in about 4 hours; spareribs will take longer. About 20 to 30 minutes before they are done, brush ribs with barbecue sauce, if desired. Ribs are done when meat is tender, has pulled away from bones by about 3/4 inch and internal temperature is 195 F. Makes 6 servings. Slow-Cooker Ribs 3 racks baby back ribs or 2 racks spareribs 3/4 cup spice rub (see related recipe) Coat both sides of the ribs with the spice rub and rub it into meat. Do not remove membrane. Place ribs, standing vertically, in a large slow cooker (an oval-shaped cooker will work best). Rack may need to be cut into pieces to fit. A small slow cooker will fit 1 rack. Cook for 4 to 5 hours on high or 7 to 8 hours on low. Ribs are done when meat is tender, it has pulled away from bones by about 3/4 inch and internal temperature is 195 F. Makes 6 servings. Spice Rub 2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar 1 tablespoon salt 2 teaspoons chile powder 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, see note 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme Note: This recipe makes a moderately spicy rub. For a spicier rub, use 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper. For mild, eliminate cayenne. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Makes about 1/2 cup. Recipe from “The Cook’s Illustrated Meat Book” by the editors at America’s Test Kitchen. Boiled and Grilled Ribs 3 racks baby back ribs or 2 racks spareribs 2 lemons 1 cup salt 2 tablespoons black peppercorns 2 bay leaves Chipotle barbecue sauce or favorite barbecue sauce (optional) Put the ribs in a large stockpot and fill with enough cold water to cover. Squeeze the lemons and strain juice into pot. Remove seeds and add lemon rinds. Add the salt, peppercorns and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Boil until ribs are slightly soft but not falling apart, for about 25 minutes. Prepare a grill for high heat. Transfer ribs to grill, meatier-side down. Grill for 10 minutes; brush meaty side with barbecue sauce, if using, and grill for another 3 minutes. Do not char meat or sauce. Ribs are done when meat has pulled away from bones by 3/4 inch. Makes 6 servings. Recipe by Yaara Amberg, via Food Network.