Families have been preparing ribs on the barbecue for many years. Most choose pork and it is more tender to beef but has more challenges.

The are two cuts of ribs, baby back and spare ribs. Baby back ribs are leaner, tenderer and have a milder taste.

When done right and grilling them slowly you can get spare ribs as tender as baby back. Baby back ribs will grill quicker as the meat is more tender. Spare ribs tend to stand up to the heat of the barbecue better and don't burn as easy.

Preparing the Ribs

Always remover the outer membrane from your ribs as these can be quite chewy to eat. Do this by scrapping it off at one of the corners then pulling the rest off with your hand. Use a paper towel to grip the membrane if it is too slippery to grip with your fingers. Don't remove the second membrane as this holds the structure of the ribs together.

Cut off any excess fat or loose pieces of meat as this will only dry out on the grill. Coat the ribs with your favourite spices to create a tasty crust.

Place the ribs in the fridge for an hour to let the flavours sink through. It is important to not leave on the spices on the ribs for longer than an hour as it can start to cure the meat and make it taste like ham.

Barbecuing Pork Ribs

Pre-heat the grill to a low heat you want to grill the ribs nice and slowly. Grilling them too quickly and on a high heat will make them turn out quite tough.

Coat the grill grid with olive oil or cook and spray to prevent the ribs from sticking. Use an in-direct grilling technique (meat is not directly over heat) and close the lid to create an oven effect. Check on the ribs occasionally opening the lid often will cause heat loss.

Try keep the grill temperature below 265 degrees, at this temperature any sugar in the marinades wont burn and will cook the ribs at a slow enough pace.

Add a few wood chips in the fire to create a bit of smoke within the grill, to give your ribs a smoky texture. Every 30 minutes turn over the ribs to ensure they get cooked evenly.

Your ribs are cooked between two to three hours, depending on the size of the ribs and the heat of the grill. After the first hour of grilling wrap the ribs tightly in tin foil, this will prevent them from drying out. Only put tin foil on after an hour as any sooner and it will make the ribs taste like they were steamed.

When the ribs are nearly done open up the foil and lightly coat them with your favourite barbecue sauce.

Let the ribs sit at room temperature for ten minutes before you serve them.

Cooking Barbeque Pork Ribs!!