Be the King of the BBQ when you learn how to make moist, mouthwatering, fall off the bone tender ribs on the grill! Your ribs will be lip-smacking, finger licking good every time when you follow this foolproof method!
Jump to:
Who's ready for grilling season? If you're like me summertime means grilling and grilling means ribs! And of course ribs means cooking in the oven and heating up the house...
Not anymore, these tender spareribs are cooked on the grill!
- No slow cooker, pressure cooker or cooking the rack in the oven first!
Yes, you heard me right these ribs are cooked entirely on the grill. It's super easy to do, the hardest part is waiting for them to be done.
Ok... so today we're talking spareribs. But these aren't made in the pressure cooker, these are made entirely on the grill. That's right, no oven, no pressure cooker... no problem!
If you don't have a gas grill this can certainly be done on a charcoal grill, just cover and monitor the temperature of the grill with a heat thermometer.
Ingredients
- heavy duty aluminum foil - if you don't have heavy duty, be sure to double or triple wrap the slab of ribs.
- baby backs spare ribs - the meatier the better
- dry rub - homemade is great, but if you have a favorite brand, then by all means use that! The same goes for barbecue sauce!
Ribs on the Grill
Equipment
- gas grill
- sheet pan
- spatula
Ingredients
- 1 rack pork spareribs
- 4 tablespoon dry rib-rub
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Start with a large sheet pan. Tear off two large pieces of heavy duty tin foil, place one on the pan set the remaining piece aside.
- Remove the ribs from the packaging. Blot with a paper towel. Drizzle olive oil lightly over the ribs, rub with your hands to make sure the ribs are coated.
- Remove the silver skin from the back of the ribs.
- Sprinkle generously with dry rub - a couple tablespoons per side. Be sure to hit all the nooks and crannies and sides of the ribs. Rub it in well.
- Cover with large sheet of foil. Seal well and refrigerate. The rub can remain on the ribs for 4 to 24 hours.
- Remove them from the fridge and allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the grill to 325 degrees.
- Place the ribs on the sheet pan right on top of the grill. Don't open the grill, just monitor the temperature. Keep it between 325-350. Cook for 2 hours.
- Open the grill and remove sheet pan. Take the cooked ribs out of the foil and finish them on the grill. Slather each side with sauce and cook to sear the sauce, only about 5 minutes per side.
- Remove and allow to rest. Slice and serve with additional sauce and serve! I hope you really enjoy this rib recipe!
Notes
Love this recipe? Join the free membership group!
Nutrition
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. For the complete instructions to learn how to cook ribs on the grill, just scroll down to the bottom of the blog post.
- Using a sharp knife, remove the silver skin from the back or bone side of the ribs. It might take a bit of doing, but be patient and peel it off. Remove all of it. The result is much more tender meat.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with sweet spice rub a couple tablespoons per side.
- Really massage the rub into the rack.
- Wrap the rack of pork ribs in heavy duty foil, seal well and refrigerate.
- Preheat the grill to 325 degrees, you want low heat. Add the sheet pan topped with ribs right to the top of the grill. Don't open the grill, monitor the temperature. Keep it between 325-350. Cook for 2 hours.
- Open and remove the ribs. Take them out of the foil and finish them on the grill by slathering each side with your favorite bbq sauce. Place ribs directly on the grill. Cook to sear the sauce, only about 5 minutes per side. Remove and allow to rest. Slice the ribs. I like to mop with additional sauce. Time to feast and enjoy!!!
Deb's top tips
Monitor the temperature of the grill. Keep it between 325-350 degrees. Too high, they will cook too fast and be tough, too low and they will be undercooked and tough.
- When you're shopping for grilling' slabs, be picky! You want meaty ribs - no shiners! Meaning don't choose slabs where the meat has been cut too close to the bone. The rack will fall apart during the grilling.
- Look for ones that have good meat coverage, not large areas of fat. A fresh rack of ribs are best, avoid previously frozen if possible
- Really there's just one job - keep an eye on the grill temperature! Follow this method to learn how to make fall off the bone tender ribs on the grill!
FAQ's
This recipe will take about two and a half hours to cook the ribs.
325 degrees is the optimum temperature for this recipe - low and slow!
The longer the better - overnight is great, even two days ahead will be great and give the rub time to really incorporate the flavor into the meat.. If you don't have time to make your own dry rub, use your favorite store-bought flavor.
Use a toothpick and slide it into the meat near the bone. When it slides in and out easily you'll know they are done. Test several spots to be sure!
What if you're camping and want to enjoy grilled ribs? That's easy too!
- Season the ribs with dry rub and wrap the ribs in foil before leaving the house.
- Toss it right on the grill - use indirect heat and cover with a large aluminum bowl. The bowl will mimic the oven and keep the temperature consistent.
- After 2 hours, remove from foil, slather with sauce and finish on the hot side of the grill. Remember the ribs are cooked at this point, you just need to sear on the sauce!
For oven baked ribs
Use this oven baked ribs recipe - it's another that we've made for years and has been perfected by my Mom.
These are the best juicy ribs!
Homemade sauce
If you'd really like to take these over-the-top, then slather your cooked ribs with this Plum BBQ Sauce - it has brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and chopped plums. It's cooked until thick and bubbly, sweet with just a hint of spice! It's great on this rib recipe!
Learning how to make fall off the bone tender ribs on the grill is really super easy once you get the method down. These are perfect every time!
Serving suggestions
Mmmm.... there are so many great side dishes to serve with bbq'd ribs!
- Because they are such a rich, heavy meal, lightening it up with a simple salad like this Mexican Coleslaw is perfect. No mayo and the flavors are bright and fresh!
- Having said that, what is better with ribs than Deviled Egg Potato Salad? I love this recipe! It's been in our family for years and is always my go-to favorite!
- Baked Beans are great as well - for this recipe, you can use the slow cooker or oven - either way works terrific. If you have a cast iron skillet, you can put it right on the grill as well - yummy!
- Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread is sweet and so good. Topped with Texas Roadhouse Butter Recipe - drool-worthy!
- You can also make asparagus right on the grill - learn all my tips and tricks for how to grill asparagus here!
For dessert, what would be better than a fresh Apricot Pie?!! I love apricots, the sweet/tart flavor makes the most scrumptious desserts!
Related recipes
We love all things grilled and a couple of my favorites are Teriyaki Steak Marinade it makes the most tender and flavorful steak, have you tried it yet? And Shrimp Kabobs - shrimp on the barbie is always a great choice, plus they take just minutes to make.
- Teriyaki Chicken Skewers - my favorite kabob, these are super flavorful and tender.
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus - your side dish can be be made right on the grill also. Who doesn't love that smokey flavor?
- BEST Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Recipe! - the yogurt in the marinade tenderizes the meat making this super juicy and delicious!
I hope you found these instructions help and you'll be making fall off the bone tender ribs at home in no time! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!
Maureen says
How long would you cook (grill)2 slabs on the same pan?
Debra Clark says
It would probably increase the cooking time by 30-45 minutes. I would also rotate the slabs (wrapped seperately). I haven't cooked it with 2 slabs, but as long as you roated them, you should be good. If it's cold/rainy, you could also bake them in the oven and finish them on the grill. That would work as well and you cold spread them out more.
Rachael says
You don’t need to add any water or apple cider vinegar in the foil at all to keep them moist during the two hours of cooking? Just curious
Debra Clark says
No liquid needed Rachael, just keep that grill at 300 degrees during that 2 hour process. Alternatively, you can certainly bake them in the oven for 2 hours at 300 if you'd prefer!
Rachael says
What if I’m not able to fit the ribs on the grill with the pans? What is the significance of them still being on the pans? Also, do they need to be flipped at all during the two hours?
Debra Clark says
The significance of the pan is it keeps the direct heat off the ribs. If you can't fit a pan, put a double layer of heavy-duty foil underneath the ribs wrapped in foil. No need to flip the ribs. Enjoy the recipe Rachael!!
Shelby Wayne Watkins says
Absolutely the best I've had from the grill and recommended to anyone!!!!!!!
Debra Clark says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Shelby!! It's the BEST summertime meal. In the wintertime, I use this recipe to bake them in the oven and finish them under broiler. So good, every time! Thank you for taking the time to comment and thanks for your support of the blog!
Ricky B says
Recipe was excellent!
Debra Clark says
Awesome, this makes the BEST ribs! Glad you enjoyed the recipe Ricky, thanks for coming back and sharing.
Lois says
This is one of our favorite meals on the blog. We love it and it always turns out great. So tender and tasty.
Lois says
This is one of my favorite meal. It always turn out great. Everyone loves it.
Cindy Stone says
This recipe was SPOT ON!! Best ribs ever and cannot believe they were cooked on the grill😋
Bowl Me Over says
Gotta love that! Thanks for sharing Cindy!