Fire up the grill while you still can by making these fall-off-the-bone ribs, from famed pitmaster, Dr. BBQ. With a delicious rub and a hint of sauce, these ribs will make you into a backyard grill-master in front of all of your guests.
By Annelise McAuliffe
Pitmaster Dr. BBQ, also know as Ray Lampe, has the secrets to grilling. Fire up the grill while you still can by making these fall-off-the-bone ribs. With a delicious rub and a hint of sauce, these ribs will make you into a backyard pitmaster in front of all of your guests.
Dr. BBQ’s Backyard Championship Ribs
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Fire up the grill while you still can with fall-off-the-bone ribs, from famed pitmaster, Dr. BBQ.
Ingredients
Scale
Ribs
- 3 Slabs of St. Louis-Style Ribs or Baby Back Ribs, cut in half, membrane off and washed
- 1/2 cup Turbinado sugar
- 1 cup Big Time Barbecue rub (recipe follows)
- 1 cup honey
- 1 1/2 cups apple juice
- 2 cups your favorite BBQ sauce
Big Time BBQ Rub
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 cup Turbinado sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon granulated onion
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons cayenne
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Ribs
- About 30 minutes before they go in to the cooker mix the rub and the Turbinado sugar together and rub it on the ribs. Use about 2/3 on the meaty side and 1/3 on the boney side.
- Much of his will depend on your equipment, but you should cook them slow with a little bit of hickory and cherry wood until they are nicely caramelized and looking great. About 325 degrees with an indirect setup would be a good target temperature. One to one and a half hours is a good time guideline for this step. Use a rib rack if you need it for space. Remove the ribs to a platter or sheet pan and brush them all on both sides with honey.
- The next step is a tenderizing process. Put the ribs in an aluminum foil pan with a little apple juice in the bottom, about one inch. Stand them on end in the pan if you need to. Cover with foil and cook on low until tender. Again, 325 degrees and indirect would be a good target. If you have a hard time keeping your grill low, you’ll need to check that the apple juice doesn’t all cook off. Replenish it as needed. This step can even be done in the oven. The time for this step is one hour as a guideline; but again, this will vary depending on your equipment. Test the ribs by sticking them with a toothpick to see when they are soft and tender. (*At this point you could cool them down, wrap them separately and reheat later. This is a great way to take ribs to a tailgate party or to prepare ahead for a party at home.)
- Transfer the cooked ribs to a medium hot grill. Brush with BBQ sauce and flip for a just a few minutes. Cut in to pieces and serve.
Rub
- Combine all ingredients, mix well, and store in an airtight container. Makes 1.5 cups.
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Barbecue
Could you give more detail on how to arrange the ribs when using the apple juice in your championship ribs?