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!
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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
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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!
Cindy says
This recipe is awesome - no more dry ribs for me! Thanks!
Rachael says
What is the significance of the pan and what if it doesn’t fit in the grill?
Rita Joy says
Can you believe, I've never made ribs on the grill? Well, actually, I've never even tried to learn how to cook ribs... Thanks for this great step by step recipe. My husband is going to love this!
Julie Evink says
I was nervous to make ribs on the grill, but these directions made it simple and the result was AMAZING! So tender and full of flavor.
Alyssa says
I can't wait to share this with my husband. He has been wanting to cook ribs on the grill. These will be perfect for our Sunday football games!
Bowl Me Over says
Wonderful, enjoy the recipe Alyssa!
One Crazy House says
Would this recipe for ribs on the grill work on a George Foreman grill, or any other small, indoor grill appliance? (Yay, apartment life😒🤣).
Bowl Me Over says
If you can close the lid on your grill, yes certainly! But if you want to bake the ribs in your oven, that will work as well. Just finish them under the broiler for that yummy bbq'd flavor and texture!
Holly says
You did not lie. Ribs on the grill is easy and delicious!!! YUM. My entire family loved this.
Bowl Me Over says
Wonderful! Glad it was a hit with the whole family. I appreciate you swinging back to let me know - thank you!
MARYE AUDET-WHITE says
I've never made ribs on a grill. I know, I know - my Texas card is gonna get taken away. This seems like it's doable! Thanks so much.
Bowl Me Over says
You're so welcome Marye, I hope you give this recipe a try!
Melanie C says
I don't know why, but cooking ribs on the grill has always seemed a little scary - so I've always shied away. After seeing your recipe you've made me want to try it (finally) - your recipe looks amazing.
Camden Rusincovitch says
Ribs on the grill sound so incredible right now! As someone who is very new to grilling, I really appreciated the tips in here, too.
Linda says
I don’t eat a lot of red meat, but wanted to treat my husband so I tried your recipe. He is a picky eater so his were seasoned with just salt and pepper. I love spice and wanted to use your dry rub recipe; I can’t eat onion or garlic so I substituted 1 tsp of asafetida, I also decreased the salt to 1 tbsp. They were a smash hit and easy, we both enjoyed them and will make them again. Thank you for the recipe.
Bowl Me Over says
You're welcome Linda! I'm glad it was a hit and you were able to substitute and make it work for YOU! Juicy, tender ribs are one of our summertime favorites!
Brandi says
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! My teens and hubby are huge rib fans but I had no idea how to cook them on the grill. Thanks for making it easy!
Brandi says
I meant how to cook ribs on the grill - not my teens and hubby! Ha! 😉
Brittany says
Thanks for the great tips on selecting the meat to cook ribs on the grill. I'm clueless when it comes to that sort of thing!
Bowl Me Over says
You bet Brittany - enjoy those juicy, tender ribs!
sharon garofalow says
My son loves ribs but I've never made ribs on the grill before. So grateful for your step by step instructions! I love tender, fall off the bone ribs.
Cynthia Rusincovitch says
Okay, I'm going to try this one. We usually make ribs on the smoker but we like to go camping and obviously the gigantic smoker doesn't travel. We do have a grill at the campsite! So we're making ribs on the grill this weekend. Fingers crossed!
Kristen says
So happy I found this recipe! Now there's no need to hit up a restaurant when my family wants ribs on the grill! Thank you for all the tips!
Jose says
If you're wrapping them in foil then using the grill means nothing. It'll be the same as using the oven.
Bowl Me Over says
Unless it's too hot in the house to run the oven - summer days are 110+ degrees here. Or you're camping or your oven goes out. Ours was out for three months.
Michaela Kenkel says
My family LOVES ribs!! You have so many tips and tricks here I never knew before!! Thank you!! Stepping up my rib making game!
Bowl Me Over says
Have a great grilling summer Michaela, thank you!
Lisa@Lisa's Dinnertime Dish says
I love that you can make these ribs from start to finish on the grill, that makes it so easy! They look absolutely delicious too!
Bowl Me Over says
Thank you Lisa!!
Michelle says
Mouthwatering good! Your recipes are always so delicious!
Bowl Me Over says
thank you Michelle!!
Liza says
What wonderful tips! My sons love ribs and we always spend so much eating out to treat them! Now I know how to make them at home!
Bowl Me Over says
Much more affordable (and just as good!) to make these at home Liza, enjoy!