Ribs

Though the introduction of ribs to Big Bob Gibson’s menu was enthusiastically embraced by the locals, the recipe itself was, well, pretty bare-bones—simply a full-size sparerib seasoned with salt and pepper and slow-smoked. In 1979, Don McLemore offered a bonus to any employee who could improve on Big Bob’s ribs. During the next week the rib usage went up tenfold but profits took a nosedive, as the extremely well-fed pit workers experimented with different preparations. When the smoke cleared two weeks later, Steve Bullard earned a dime raise with this recipe.

Over the years the rib recipe at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q has changed many times, running the gamut from full-size spare ribs to today’s meaty St. Louis–cut spare ribs. The seasoning and the sauce have evolved as well, moving from salt and pepper to a complex seasoning blend and a finishing touch of our own championship red sauce. Spare ribs are cut from the lower portion of the rib cage below the back ribs, including a portion of the breast bone. The bones of the spare rib vary in size and length, ranging from short and round to long and flat, and they have less curvature than baby back ribs. The meat contains a high percentage of fat and thus yields a tender finished product. The term “St. Louis cut” is used when the breast bone and cartilage are cut from a spare rib, leaving a slab of ribs with a more uniform size and shape. The breast bone can be used for stock, and the leftover meat and cartilage can be seasoned and cooked for rib tips. A full-size spare rib can be trimmed easily at home, or your local butcher can trim the rib and give you the bonus cuttings. The recipe that follows is as close to what we use at the restaurant as I can give without being disowned by the family. I think you will recognize the similarities—and perhaps even like it better!

It is impossible to discuss Memphis barbecue without talking about ribs. Where in most places the rib-loving factions are divided between those who prefer baby backs to spareribs (or vice versa), in Memphis the two different camps are partisans of either dry or wet preparations. Wet ribs are daubed with sauce before serving. Dry ribs can have either a dry rub added prior to cooking or a seasoning blend applied after cooking. Either way, no tomato-based sauce touches a dry rib from Memphis.

Pat: Beef ribs are not nearly as common in Memphis as pork ribs, but they are still loved by many and always worth a slab. Because of their massive size—beef rib bones are twice the size of pork ribs—beef ribs are often referred to as the “Fred Flintstone bone.” This size scares a lot of novice grillers, but there’s no need to worry. Beef ribs have more bone than meat, so they will actually take less time to cook and prepare. As with other ribs, they must be slow-cooked at a low temperature for the tenderest results. Cooked for less than 3 hours over indirect heat, these ribs will add real Texas flavor to your backyard cookout.

I love these ribs—they’re better than real BBQ for two reasons: (1) They ring in at one-third the calories and fat of the original, and (2) you can make them easily at home in your oven and enjoy BBQ even when it’s raining, or too hot, or too cold, or the mosquitoes are out in droves.

New York City has a Chinese takeout restaurant on every corner and oddly enough they all seem to have the same menu. Maybe it all comes out of the same kitchen—who knows? What I do know is that Chinese spareribs are one of my favorite junk foods on the planet. This is my variation of the classic Chinese spareribs No. 5. Be warned, they are really addictive. When preparing ribs, slower and longer is always better.

These ribs are rubbed with an oil and spice mixture. They cook to tender perfection in less than an hour in the convection oven.

You can precook spareribs without covering them using this easy convection oven method. While the ribs are in their first stage of cooking, make the barbecue sauce for the final glazing and baking, or use your favorite store-bought brand.

Today’s low-fat pork is easily overcooked, making it tough and dry. In the past, pork shoulder ribs were thought to require hours of cooking. Not true. Just try this method. While the ribs cook in a hot oven, combine the sauce ingredients and brush the meat generously with it during the final few minutes of cooking.

Summer isn't the only time to enjoy sticky ribs— these baby backs, showered with citrus zest, also work well in winter. You can customize the size of the zest by using a Microplane for smaller pieces or a 5-hole zester for longer strips.

Unlike most braises, these ribs aren't browned before they're simmered. The long, slow simmer tenderizes the meat, and the ribs get their brown, shiny exterior from a soy and brown sugar marinade. The ideal drink pairing? Ice-cold Thai beer.

These humongous sweet-and-smoky beef ribs will be the talk of your next backyard barbecue. Because the ribs are an unusually large size, your butcher may have to special-order the whole racks for you.

Editor's note: The recipe below is from How to Grill, by Steven Raichlen. To read more about Raichlen and barbecue, go to our feature The Best Barbecue in the U.S.A.

Craig promises that if you follow this recipe, you can make dizzyingly delicious Chinatown char siu ribs at home in the oven or on the grill. That makes them a great choice for the winter, when you've got a hankering for ribs and the smoker is snowed in. Many Chinese restaurants use spareribs that are chopped into 3- to 4-inch riblets. If you want, your butcher can make you riblets with a band saw. Craig likes baby backs for this recipe because they are a bit meatier. You can also substitute 4 pounds of pork loin for the ribs if you wish. The booze is important for the marinade because it helps penetrate the meat, and even if you're a teetotaler, don't worry—there isn't any measurable alcohol in the ribs. If you must skip it, use apple juice or water. You can buy char siu sauce at Chinese specialty stores, and it makes a fine glaze, but it doesn't make ribs that taste like Chinese restaurant ribs. That's because you need to marinate the meat in a thin sauce first.

This preparation results in ribs that are dark, glossy, and so tender that just a tug of the teeth will pull the meat off the bone.

These addictive and deeply flavored ribs make a great starter as part of a larger Thai meal, or they can be served as a main course accompanied by jasmine rice and a sautéed or braised leafy or bitter green vegetable. On the other hand, they make a terrific snack to go along with a cold beer.

The success of these ribs lies in a straightforward three-part process. Long marinating in a sweet, garlicky rub ensures the ribs soak up loads of flavor. Next, a leisurely roast in the oven makes them tender. Finally, a mop of balsamic-brown-sugar glaze and a few minutes on the grill gives the ribs a whiff of smokiness and caramelizes their edges.

Ribs are among the constants on the world's barbecue trail, but just how they’re prepared reflects a strong regional and cultural bias. The vast ranch lands and forests of the New World, for example, led to American-style barbecue, with its large slabs of spareribs slow-roasted on a smoker for the better part of a day. Asians adopted a different strategy: cooking small cuts or single ribs on tiny grills engineered for fuel efficiency. The flavor would come not from wood smoke (Asians don't have wood to burn by the cord), but from the explosively flavored seasoning indigenous to the region, like lemongrass, ginger, and fish sauce. Case in point: These Cambodian-style ribs, from Sarun Pich, a chef at the Amansara resort in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Direct Heat I love short ribs, but I've always been a braising person, convinced that you couldn't just grill a short rib and make it wonderful to eat. While writing this book I became obsessed with creating a simple, grilled boneless short rib recipe. The key is to trim the connective tissue that holds the bone to the meat. I found that often when you buy boneless short ribs, this tissue is still there, and it's tougher than a pair of Marine boots that have marched across Iraq. After that adjustment it's a matter of being patient at the grill. You want them nicely caramelized but you don't want to overcook them. They need to be pink inside to be tender enough to eat and enjoy. Serve with pinto beans cooked with garlic and cilantro or atop grits or mashed potatoes.