Barbecue Ribs recipe on the grill

Make my pull apart rib recipe on the grill and impress everyone! These ribs come out tender, juicy and with the fat completely rendered. They are full of flavor thanks to my homemade dry rub and my homemade barbecue sauce! Save this recipe now so you can make the Barbecue ribs for your next summer grilling session.

It is the peak of summer and Michigan summers are the absolute best. Summer here is what makes winter worth it. Solstice is only a few days away and the sun isn’t completely set until after 10 p.m. The days are long, hot and sunny, and the Lake Michigan waves are calling out to everyone who lives nearby.

Everyone here in Michigan has the 4th of July and vacation on their minds. It comes with the desire to lounge in the sun, eat watermelon and grill anything covered in barbecue sauce. The first thing most people think of when they hear barbecue is ribs and they are certainly a first on our list when we get grilling. After a winter of making them in the pressure cooker (which makes them deliciously, by the way), it’s time for us to expand our cooking space, eating space and living space. We like to grill all summer long and take full advantage of the nice weather. It makes life so much easier, doesn’t it?

The secret to tender ribs…

My barbecue ribs recipe on the grill is one of our favorite summertime dishes. The first time I made them I think Kevin was shocked by how tender they were. Maybe even a little jealous since they were more tender and juicer than his? 🙂 My barbecue ribs recipe on the grill will literally pull off the bone. The meat is cooked perfectly so you can use your hands and just pull them apart. 

I like a nice, pull apart rib versus a fall of the bone because then people who like to eat them on the bone can do just that. While people who prefer them san bone can easily remove the meat. 

The secret to a great ribs recipe on the grill is; Go low and go slow. temperature and the time. Basically, grill them at a low temperature and grill them for a few hours to ensure the best flavor and texture. 

There are other rules though for making an amazing ribs recipe on the grill though, and perhaps they are all important or why would we do them, right? Each of them adds a little bit of something special to making this recipe delicious.

tips to get perfect, tender, flavorful barbecue ribs on the grill:

1. Go low and slow. You want to make sure the grill doesn’t go above 300 degrees with 250 degrees being the optimal temperature.
2. You will end up coming the ribs for just over 4 hours. Give yourself plenty of time!
3. Cook them inside foil the majority of the time. (Specific instructions in recipe.) This helps to maintain moisture and allows them to cook more slowly for the tenderization. 
4. Make sure to let them rest at least 10 minutes before serving. Pork will continue to cook after it is off the grill or out of the oven, so you want to give it the time to continue to do that. Letting it rest will also help to retain the juices and give you the best flavor.

Seasoning the ribs

Seasoning all meats that you cook before cooking them is important, but it’s even more important when you’re cooking meat on the grill. When grilling meat, it will lose some of the seasoning in the grilling process, even when wrapped in tin foil. 

My seasoning is a nice, flavorful rub that includes garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, paprika and chili powder. I also like to add on a few twists of salt and pepper. The full recipe for the seasoning I use for my barbecue ribs recipe on the grill is below. 

Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Making my barbecue ribs recipe on the grill is made even better by making my homemade barbecue sauce. It has a handful of ingredients and is a ketchup based sauce that includes a little sweetness, a little acid and a little spice. It’s basically a perfectly blended sauce that almost all people enjoy – my kids included. 

My Homemade Barbecue Sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week. Honestly you won’t have much left of it after using it on my ribs recipe of the grill because the recipe calls for adding it to the ribs throughout the cooking process. Additionally, everyone always wants more for eating. 

Looking for more summer recipes?

If you’re looking for more grilling recipe or side dishes to go with my delectable barbecue ribs recipe on the grill, try these!

• Grilled Corn Salad with avocado and red pepper {HERE}
• English Pea Salad {HERE}
• Grilled Tequila Lime Flank Steak {HERE}
• French Potato Salad {HERE}
• Fresh Guacamole {HERE}
• Lemon & Herb Potato Salad with capers {HERE}

Thank you so much for joining me today friends! I hope you love my barbecue ribs recipe on the grill and I hope to see you again. You can find the full, printable recipe below!
 


 

How to make Barbecue Ribs on the Grill

Learn how to make Barbecue Ribs recipe on the Grill and get them so tender that they're almost fall off the bone ribs. Save this recipe so you can make it every grilling season!

5 from 4 votes

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Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: barbecue ribs, fall of the bone ribs, ribs on the grill, ribs recipe on the grill

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours 15 minutes

Resting: 15 minutes

Servings: 1 slab of ribs

Author: Rachel

Equipment

• 1 gas grill

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Barbecue Sauce

• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. liquid smoke
• 1/2 tsp. hot sauce You can add more if you like it spicy.
• 2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
• 5 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 3 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup Not pancake syrup. 100 percent maple syrup.
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Ingredients for the ribs recipe on the grill rub

• 2 tsp. garlic salt
• 4 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 1/2 - 3 tsp. chili powder

Ingredients for the ribs recipe on the grill

• 1 slab of baby back ribs
• Spice rub from above - divided
• Sauce mix from above
• 1/4 cup beer, apple cider or water I like to use an IPA beer.

Instructions

Instructions for making the ribs rub

• Mix all the ingredients together and then divide them.
• You will use half on one side of the ribs and half on the other side of the ribs.

Instructions for making the barbecue sauce

• Mix everything together and whisk well.
• Set aside until ready to use.
• Store extra sauce in the refrigerator for one week. Remove 30 minutes before re-using.

Instructions for making the ribs

• On a gas grill, on turn the front burner or one of the side burners to low/medium. My grill has a right, left and middle. I usually only turn on the right or left side. You want the internal temperature around 250 degrees. I keep it on medium the entire time.
• While the grill heats up put your ribs on a large piece of tin foil and remove the silver membrane. This will make the ribs more tender.
• Rub both sides of the ribs with the spice rub. You want this to be heavy. You will lose some flavor to the heat as the ribs cook.
• Place ribs bone side up and tent them. Make sure the foil doesn’t touch the ribs. You want to create a pocket with the foil so you can retain the moisture while they cook.
• Place the ribs on the opposite side of the grill from the ignited burner and leave them there for two hours. Make sure the temperature doesn’t fall below 200 degrees or go over 300 degrees.
• After two hours, open the foil and coat the ribs with your barbecue sauce and turn them bone side down, meat side up. If there isn’t a lot of moisture in the foil, add a ¼ cup of water or beer.
• Re-seal your foil tent and cook for another 2 hours.
• When time is up remove the ribs from the foil (carefully!) and pull them toward the burner that’s on. They will already be ready to fall to pieces on you so be careful.
• Open the tent on the ribs, coat again with barbecue sauce, turn all the burners on, close the lid and cook for 10 minutes. The grill can get up to 450 at this point.
• Finally, turn the burner off under the ribs again and remove the ribs from the tin foil, placing them directly on the grill above the non-ignited side. Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes. Again the temperature can go up to 450. You want to make sure the fat is rendered properly. You want the grill to start smoking so that you get a nice char.
• When done, let the ribs rest for about 10 minutes. This will help to retain the meat’s moisture.
• Add another layer of barbecue sauce and serve.