Easy Grilled Ribs Recipe - fall off the bone tender and juicy ribs baked to soft and finished on the grill for a smoky grilled BBQ flavor in under 5 hours!
If you love a little bit of smoky, grilled flavor - but you're not a fan of intensely smoky ribs - or you don't have time for our Best Smoked Ribs recipe - this recipe is for you!
We're cooking these ribs to fall off the bone tender and juicy in under 5 hours - right around 4 ½ - so they are quicker to make than smoked, with a bit more of grilled flavor than our Best Ever Baked Ribs recipe.
This recipe is perfect for cookouts in the park since we pre-bake the ribs and finish them on the grill - so you can prep them to finish at a cookout, tailgate, or BBQ party!
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Table of contents
What Ribs To Grill
There are a lot of different types of ribs, which can make it confusing to figure out the best ribs to buy if you're new to smoking ribs.
This guide will help clear up differences in types of ribs and the best picks for this recipe.
Baby Back Ribs
Baby back ribs are a wonderful rib cut - and one of the most popular. (Not just because of a certain chain's catchy baby back jingle...) Baby back ribs are taken from the muscle that runs along the back of the pig.
Baby backs are a meaty cut containing high-quality meat - perfect for a backyard BBQ.
Baby Back Ribs are leaner, more tender, and work great in the oven, too.
Spare Ribs
Spare ribs are ribs that are closer to the belly of the pig.
Spare ribs are not as meaty - in fact, that is why they are called "spare", since the belly of the pig is primarily used for bacon, and spare ribs only keep a bit of their meat since they are cut so close to the bone.
Since spare ribs don't have a lot of meat, they cook more quickly, and also do great in the oven as well as on the smoker.
St. Louis Style Ribs
St. Louis Style ribs are actually from the same cut as spare ribs- except St. Loius style ribs are trimmed to a uniform rectangle shape so they can cook evenly to perfection.
St. Louis style ribs have the skirt and the tip removed, which makes cooking time go faster, and prep easier.
Since St. Louis style ribs have the least amount of meat, they cook the fastest - and are also great in the oven.
While it's not my favorite prep method, St. Louis style ribs can also be separated before cooking and cooked individually.
How To Prep Ribs
Ribs are one of my go-to picks for smoking because they don't involve a ton of extra trimming and prep - though a little bit of work goes a long way to making perfect fall off the bone juicy ribs.
Remove Silver Skin From Ribs
Silver skin is the whitish, silvery membrane that runs along the back side of the ribs.
While it is not necessary to remove this membrane, it is very easy, and can help to make your ribs softer and easier to eat.
I prefer to always remove the silver skin from my ribs for the perfect juicy and tender ribs.
Removing silver skin can be a little tricky until you get the hang of it - and then it's a breeze!
- Slide a small, rounded knife (not a sharp knife) under the silverskin anywhere along the rib rack, and pull up on the skin to loosen it.
- If it won't pull up in one spot, simply try another.
- Lift and loosen the membrane or silver skin with the knife until it's loose enough that you can grab it with your hands.
- Pull the silver skin off of the rack of ribs; it should peel away in one large sheet, but if it breaks - no worries- just use the knife to restart the easy process in another section of ribs.
Rub Ribs With Rib Rub
The best way to make sure your ribs are full of flavor is to add a dry rub that you rub ribs all over with before you go to bake.
Grilled Rib Rub Recipe
⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 & ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 & ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 & ½ teaspoons onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste, optional
How To Bake Ribs For Grilling
To infuse even more flavor in our ribs, we're adding a beer bath to the bottom of the baking sheet to help steam the ribs as they bake with tons of beer fragrance!
You can also add a bit of beer to the foil pouch, but we find it's best to not have a ton so the ribs don't boil in the pouch.
How To Grill Ribs
For ribs that wont fall apart once they get to the grill, its important to make sure they aren't fall off the bone tender out of the oven - you'll cook them to tender perfection on the grill.
Baste and flip every 5 minutes until a dark, crunchy bark forms - about 20 minutes of grill time.
Other Ribs Recipes You'll Love
We love ribs around here - and are listing some of our favorite recipes below:
What To Serve With Ribs
If you're looking for delicious, easy side dishes to serve with ribs, please check out our favorite sides for BBQs, picnics, and cookouts:
To see our entire side dish recipe archive, click here.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe is great for cookouts and parties, because you can bake, then keep ribs in refrigerator for up to four days before grilling.
Leftover ribs can be kept in an airtight container for up to four days in the refrigerator.
The Best Grilled Ribs Recipe
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Easy Grilled Ribs Recipe
Easy Grilled Ribs Recipe - fall off the bone tender and juicy ribs baked to soft and finished on the grill for a smoky grilled BBQ flavor in under 5 hours!
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back ribs
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 & ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 & ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 & ½ teaspoons onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste, optional
- 12-ounce beer
- 1-2 cups bbq sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line a large sheet tray with foil, set aside.
- Rinse the ribs well making sure there are no bone shards. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Place it on the sheet tray with the foil. If desired, remove the membrane from the underside of the bones by using a pairing knife to gently pry the membrane up so you can get ahold of it. Using a paper towel then grab the membrane and pull it off.
- In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne. Rub the ribs all over, top and bottom with the rub.
- Place another piece of foil on top, crimp the edges of the two pieces of foil all around the ribs so it forms a package.
- Place the ribs in the oven and pour ½ of the beer directly onto the sheet tray. Bake for an hour and a half and add the other half of the beer onto the sheet tray. Depending on how tender you want your ribs, start checking them at the 3 hour total mark. A fork should easily pierce the meat of the ribs. You do not want them to totally fall off the bone though because they will fall apart on the grill.
- Heat your grill on high and let it get very hot. Place the ribs meat side up onto the grill. Baste with the bbq sauce. Flip them over and let them char and caramelized. Base the other side with bbq sauce. You do not want to leave them on too long, 20 minutes max because they may dry out.
- Once the one side is caramelized and lightly charred turn it over again and let the bottom caramelize and char.
- Cut the slab into individual ribs and serve, or serve as is!
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 596Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 66mgSodium 1849mgCarbohydrates 82gFiber 2gSugar 66gProtein 20g
Nutrition is automatically calculated by Nutritionix - please verify all nutrition information independently and consult with a doctor or nutritionist for any and all medical and diet advice.
Faye
I never had an air fryer, but a very interested in one.