The BBQ Champion Secret Technique for Perfect Ribs
There is a mythology of barbeque for just about every cut of meat and none more so than with
ribs. Pork, Beef, Lam, St. Louis, Memphis, Baby-Back – you name the style and the cut and
there are as many methods and secrets as there are people telling them - maybe more. If you filter
through all the talk and get to the essence of it – there appears to be some consensus among true
barbeque aficionados about one technique.
It’s called 3:2:1.
This technique is practiced by many successful pit-masters and backyard cooks alike and I
present it to you as a guideline – especially if you haven’t found your own mythology for the
perfect rib. The 3:2:1 refers to the approximate hours for each of the distinct steps in cooking that
barbeque pit-masters use to prepare ribs.
After brining and/or marinating and/or par-boiling and/or seasoning with rub and/or prepping the
ribs they way you like before cooking – first step is to place the ribs in the grill or smoker and
cook:
* 3 hours (approximately) of slow cooking at or about 225F – 250F degrees using
traditional indirect heat method with some wood smoke
The next step is to wrap the ribs in foil and cook:
* 2 hours (approximately) of slow cooking at or about 225F – 250F degrees using
traditional indirect heat method wrapped in foil with some sauce or liquid added
And to finish … the ribs remain wrapped in the foil, maybe a bit more liquid is added and they get:
* 1 hour (approximately) of ‘hold time’ in an insulated container (cooler without ice!) or
closed oven – still wrapped in foil. If necessary and/or desired before serving use “some”
exposure to direct grilling heat to finish up the glaze or to crisp the skin to the degree that
you please yourself.
Try this method at home and modify it to help you come up with your own award-winning ribs.
Happy Grilling!