I was quite scared to make my own Barbecue Ribs. I'm very picky about what type of ribs I like. In fact, I pretty much like ribs from two places. One such place is the Sugarhouse Barbecue Company in Salt Lake City and the other is Famous Dave's (large chain). So, making my own, without a smoker, seemed doomed for failure.
They however, came out great. First, I bought spare pork ribs from Costco. They cost a lot less than baby back ribs and they come as baby back ribs with a large portion of boneless meat attached. This large portion of boneless meat needs to be cut off and saved. They make the best pork steaks you've ever had. Then there is a cartilage filled portion that needs to be cut off and discarded. That leaves you with just the ribs.
Take these ribs and rub them with whatever you can think of rubbing on them. I put minced garlic, salt, and peper. I have since learned, the more the better. I think next time I'll rub on some chile powder, season-all, paprika, thyme, and whatever meat seasoning I can find. I then wrapped them (half rack at a time) in tin foil and put them in a 300 degree F oven on a lipped cookie sheet for two and a half hours.
After that, I took them out, unwrapped them, and let them cool for 10 minutes. Then they went on the grill for about 5 minutes per side, brushing them with Barbeque sauce while on the grill. I just put them on until they got a little burned on the outside, just the way I like it. I used Famous Dave's Devil Spit Barbecue Sauce that they had at my local grocery store.
I think they might have benefited by putting on the rub and letting them sit overnight in the fridge to absorb some of the flavor. Or perhaps add a little liquid smoke. However, as a first attempt, I was quite happy.
