Rib Ticklin’

If you love beef on the grill but have been less than
satisfied with how your grilled ribs turned out, you are not alone.  The best beef ribs are slow roasted or
grilled over low heat for hours until the meat is literally melting off the bones.
Most home cooks don’t want to spend hours at the grill watching and turning the
ribs. Boiling the meat in a marinade, brine or juice mixture eliminates the
need to cook the meat for hours yet achieves the same tender, finger-lickin’
results.  In addition, having the ribs
precooked allows you to begin preparing earlier in the day freeing up your time
for last minute things like salad and side dishes. You don’t even need to feel
like you are cheating on the grilling—just say “all the best barbecue cooks are
doing it this way”!

Try one of our tasty recipes today and be sure to stock
up on napkins!

Sweet and Smoky Spare Ribs with Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

for the ribs:

15-18 spare ribs on the bone

1 cup bourbon (Old Williamsburg shnapps)

2 cups water

for the spice rub:

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons paprika

2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

for the sauce:

2 cups ketchup

½ cup honey

1/3 cup bourbon

¼ cup mustard

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 tablespoons hot sauce, optional

Prepare the ribs:

Place the ribs in a wide stockpot.  Pour the bourbon and water over them and bring
to a boil.  Cook one hour over medium
heat until the meat is easily pierced with a fork. Remove from the liquid and
pat dry. This can be done earlier in the day and refrigerated once the ribs are
cooked.

Grill the ribs:

Grease the grill racks with an oil-dampene

Turn off two burners and lower the remaining one to
medium on a gas grill or arrange the charcoal to cover 1/3 of the bottom of the
barbecue.  Arrange the ribs on the rack
over the area that has no flame or coals. 
Close the grill and allow ribs to cook for 45 minutes.  The temperature in the grill should be
between 300 and 325 degrees. 

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium
saucepot.  Bring to a boil and continue
to cook until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes.

Open the cover and spread the sauce liberally over the
ribs, turning to coat both sides.  Grill
15 minutes longer or until meat pulls easily away from the bone.  Spread with more sauce before serving.

Here’s an even simpler version:

Country Style Barbecue Beef Ribs

2 1⁄2-3 lbs beef ribs

16 ounces barbecue sauce; original or hickory flavored

Place the ribs in an 8-quart stockpot. Add enough water
to cover ribs. Mix in about 1 cup barbecue sauce to the water. Cover, and bring
to a boil.  Reduce heat. Simmer covered
for 2 hours, until ribs are tender.  This
can be don’t a few hours before dinner.

Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium.

Remove ribs from water and place in a large bowl. Brush
the ribs generously with additional barbecue sauce.

Transfer ribs to preheated grill. Close grill lid. Grill
for 10 to 20 minutes, basting generously with barbecue sauce & turning
often. Be careful not to overcook the ribs, as they will dry out