Grilled Baby Back Ribs

By Sam Sifton

Grilled Baby Back Ribs
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(1,583)
Notes
Read community notes

We think of ribs as an all-day affair, the meat cooked in smoke and low heat until it begins to pull from the bone. But baby backs are quicker and can be grilled as well, and the result is delicious. This recipe benefits from a basting technique used by the chef and barbecue madman Adam Perry Lang, who thins out his barbecue sauce with water, then paints it onto the meat he’s cooking in coat after coat, allowing it to reduce and intensify rather than seize up and burn.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1cup barbecue sauce (see recipe)
  • 2racks baby back pork ribs, about 2¼ pounds each
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

1270 calories; 84 grams fat; 30 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 35 grams monounsaturated fat; 14 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 24 grams sugars; 98 grams protein; 1357 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Build a fire in your grill, leaving one side free of coals. When coals are covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 5 to 7 seconds), you are ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn all burners to high, lower cover and heat for 15 minutes, then turn burners to medium.)

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, combine barbecue sauce with 1 cup water and stir to combine. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Sprinkle the ribs generously with salt and pepper, put them on the grill directly over the coals and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once every 5 minutes or so, and basting with the thinned barbecue sauce, until a peek inside shows that the meat no longer has any pink at the center.

  4. Step 4

    Take the racks of ribs off the grill, cut them into individual ribs and serve.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,583 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Judi

Recipe looks very simple. I would like a couple of things cleared up before I attempt. #1 Video shows ribs cooked NOT over coals, recipe says cook over coals. #2 Are ribs cooked with or without the lid on the grill?

Thomas Greisen

I always pull the membrane off the underside. This gives the sauce meat to soak into, instead of just sitting on the membrane.

Kevin Osinski

After trying this I think I'll stick with the "low and slow" method for pork ribs. Turning them every 5 minutes was a pain, although they were ready in half the time. With a good rub and a long cooking time they develop more flavor and cook more evenly.

Jane

Grilled the ribs tonight on a gas grill. After grill heated to 500 degrees, lowered temp to 350 degrees and cooked total time for 35 minutes, basting with bbq sauce as directed. Removed from grill and covered with foil for about 10 minutes before cutting. The ribs were tender and wonderfully moist. Sprinkled a little bbq sauce over when serving. FANTASTIC FLAVOR!

Dana

Unless you're rushed for time, rub/season the ribs, wrap in foil, bake for 2 hours at 250 degrees, then finish on the grill. For smokiness add a generous dash of smoked paprika to the seasoning/rub.

Celeste

What a surprise to find that baby back ribs can cook so quickly and still be tender and tasty! Mixing water with the sauce to achieve this is a genius idea--I tried it with the sauce suggested here as well as with one of my own and also with a bottled sauce and, just as Sam Sifton says, the sauce reduces and intensifies instead of seizing up and burning. This method also keeps chicken thighs and legs from drying out. Sometimes I'll mop on undiluted sauce near the end for a thicker coating.

Steve Marshall

Why stack the coals if you're not going to use the cool side?

carrie

This recipe for grilled ribs is not supposed to be at all like fall off the bone steamed ribs in foil. These are more like grilled porkchops only juicier and more flavorful. This is exactly the way I cook mine and everyone loves them. I do season them a bit more with some rub but then baste with thinned sauce, and cook them only until they are cooked through. It's good to be able to put some tooth to the bone and cooking them is not an all day affair. Try it!

TriciaPDX

I agree that the guy standing over the fire is the one who develops the most smoky deliciousness! It's the smoke in your nose that keeps you from appreciating fully what you just prepared. This is why, for me as the cook, barbecue is so much better the next day, after I've washed the smoke out of my hair and come at the dish with a fresh nose.

Ben

Turn to Med-Low instead of Med on gas grill

J Champ

I always pull the membrane off and soak in a brine over night. The n cook at 250 in oven and brine covered for 4 hours. Then finish on grill. They are amazing!

David Waterbury

They are not from smaller animals. They are from a different area of the animal. Specifically, the loin. Baby back ribs are what's left after a loin roast has been made into a boneless loin roast. Spare ribs come from lower on the animal, down closer to the chest or belly.

HeySonnie

You reference Adam Perry Lang as your inspiration. Then in your video you baste then turn. But APL's method is to turn then baste while the exposed side is still hot, and to turn and baste frequently. This is what creates the lacquer-like glaze that he's going for. (Your written instructions are more like his technique.)

David

Can't say I had the same experience as Jane. Maybe it was the ribs, maybe it was the sauce, maybe it was me, but wasn't thrilled. Fellow diners thought the results were "too porky." I just thought no real depth of BBQ flavor. Worth a shot, but back to "low and slow" for me.

Steve

It seems to me that the video showed the ribs being cooked over indirect heat, whereas the recipe called for grilling directly over coals. Guess I'll just try it out and see...

Jill

Great recipe! I cooked on a gas grill for 30 mins (preheated to 500, then turned gas down to low and my grill stayed between 400 and 500). I brined the ribs in beer for 8 hours before grilling and they were tender and flavorful.

Samurai Sal

Easiest method for scrumptious baby back ribs: Liberally season ribs with kosher salt and fresh pepper. Pour pineapple juice over ribs, wrap loosely in foil and bake for about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Grill over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, turn, brush with sauce. Grill 5 - 8 minutes. Brush w/ more sauce, turn and grill until nicely browned. Amazing.

Mike S

Nope. Cooked as suggested, but this is waaay too short a time to cook ribs. I'm going back to the low and slow methods.

Mr. Learning to Cook

The good: this is a very easy, straightforward way to cook baby back ribs The bad: don’t close the gas grill top (it will burn the ribs); assume you will need much longer (up to an hour); unlike using a smoker or oven, a gas grill will not cook all the meat evenly….some with cook fast, some will char and some thicker parts of the meat will seemingly take forever …just part of the process Im the end, it was all delicious.

Erik

Great method to do ribs on shorter notice. Easy enough to be vigilant, keep the mop going and move the racks around to ensure everything gets cooked well. For sure a different texture than slow and low, but also a totally different use case - did this as written on a random Wednesday spring night and the family was delighted.

Diane

From those of you who suggest baking at 250 first then ‘finishing on the grill’ - what exactly does that mean? How long on the grill & at what temperature?

Bob

I will not tread on sauces, pre-bake, etc. as there are many good pre-made sauce options, rubs, and home sauce recipes. However, Two things that will ease the prep and make the ribs a hit. 1. When peeling off the membrane, use a piece of paper towel to grab it once started and it will pull right off. 2. When pre-baking I always cut the ribs into riblets every two ribs. When grilled get crust on all sides instead of the lucky two who get the end pieces of whole slab.

HoosnOs

Outstanding! Tasty, tender and delicious, and in less than an hour. Cooked 40-45 minutes. In the rotation.

Golem

An old Bon Appetite recipe called for removing every other bone to get meatier ribs. Remove the first bone and the meat on top. Then the third bone cutting close to the bone and as much meat on top of the bones as you go along. Sounds complicated but you'll figure it out.

Bonnie F

Followed the directions - always on the first go 'round. Ribs came out delicious. A couple of tweaks for next time - I won't dilute the barbecue sauce as much (personal preference), and will add a few more minutes cooking time. But, will definitely make this again!

Julius Child

Properly and thoroughly cooking pork and chicken directly over charcoal is a pain in the butt--especially if the marinade, rub or sauce you're using has any sugar in it. For this reason, I ALWAY season first and pre-cook in the oven and then finish on the grill. For baby back ribs, cook in a baking dish covered w/ foil with 1/3 of a bottle of flavorful beer in the bottom of the dish. 250 degrees for 2.5 hours....then, to the grill!

Julia in Loveland

I've been cooking ribs similarly for a couple of years. I season the ribs heavily with a dry rub--a combination from what is in the spice cabinet with a little heat, smoked paprika and a BBQ mix. I wrap in Al foil and refrigerate overnight or at least the morning. I usually turn every 10 min for about 40 min, then do the sauce turning every 5 min for another 15-20. Good idea to dilute the sauce and strip off the membrane; will try next time. I use a gas grill on lowest setting.

Patty Zach

I am a very old lady with no grill. I plan to use this recipe using the oven, instead of a grill. I'll start in the preheated oven at 300 in a disposable pan covered with foil. When I get to the direct grilling part, I will remove foil and use the broiler basting frequently to finish. I think it will work for me. Anyone have a suggestion?

Bob

For all of you frustrated with trying to pull a slippery membrane off of the back of the ribs, a quick “secret” to making it no problem. Next time take a piece of paper towel and grab the edge of the membrane with it and yoink it peels right off!

Grey

These came out excellent. Tip: since the quick cook time means they'll be a little chewier than slow grilled ribs, make sure and remove that membrane!

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