Turtlebox ambassador Michael Letchworth shared his Tailgate Spare Ribs recipe with us, and it's a total game changer. Check it out:
Ingredients:
- Spare Ribs (Full Size or St Louis Cut)
- BBQ Seasoning (Sam Jones BBQ Rub Potion)
- BBQ Sauce (Sam Jones Sweet BBQ Sauce)
Cook:
- 275 Degree Smoker
- 1.5 hours Unwrapped
- 1.5-2 Hours Wrapped
- 10 Min Gaze Unwrapped
In tailgating, preparation is key. You can alway smoke these ribs the day or night before, and then bring back to temp on a grill at the tailgate. Another option it to cook your ribs at home and bring wrapped In foil to the game to cut and serve. The experience is up to you, all that matters is you enjoy the meal with good music and good friends.
There are plenty of methods for ribs, this one is the least steps, prep, and hassle for your tailgate.
Don’t worry about pulling off the membrane on the back of the ribs. Pick your favorite BBQ rub and evenly coat your ribs. Allow the rub to sweat in to the meat at least 15-20 mins, or feel free to do this the night before.
Get your smoker or grill up to 275°F. Place the ribs in the cooker bone side down. Allow these ribs to cook for about an hour and a half. If you are cooking in a grill or smoker with direct heat, flip these ribs and move them around if needed for even color.
At this point you will want to wrap your ribs tightly in aluminum foil. You will cook your ribs wrapped for another 1.5-2 hours. After the 1.5 hour mark you can start checking the ribs. With tongs pick up about 1/3 of the ribs to check the bend and tenderness of the ribs. You want them to bend as you lift but not break. I like to look for a 185-195 degree internal temp of the rib meat. It’s all personal preference: whether you like a pull when you bite or if you want to cook to a point of falling off the bone.
When ribs are ready you will remove foil, sauce them with your favorite sauce and set back on cooker for about 10 mins for the sauce to glaze. (Do this step and the tailgate if you choose to smoke the ribs ahead of time, grill the ribs to heat them up and add sauce once they are hot.)
There are plenty of methods for ribs, this one is the least steps, prep, and hassle for your tailgate.
Don’t worry about pulling off the membrane on the back of the ribs. Pick your favorite BBQ rub and evenly coat your ribs. Allow the rub to sweat in to the meat at least 15-20 mins, or feel free to do this the night before.
Get your smoker or grill up to 275°F. Place the ribs in the cooker bone side down. Allow these ribs to cook for about an hour and a half. If you are cooking in a grill or smoker with direct heat, flip these ribs and move them around if needed for even color.
At this point you will want to wrap your ribs tightly in aluminum foil. You will cook your ribs wrapped for another 1.5-2 hours. After the 1.5 hour mark you can start checking the ribs. With tongs pick up about 1/3 of the ribs to check the bend and tenderness of the ribs. You want them to bend as you lift but not break. I like to look for a 185-195 degree internal temp of the rib meat. It’s all personal preference: whether you like a pull when you bite or if you want to cook to a point of falling off the bone.
When ribs are ready you will remove foil, sauce them with your favorite sauce and set back on cooker for about 10 mins for the sauce to glaze. (Do this step and the tailgate if you choose to smoke the ribs ahead of time, grill the ribs to heat them up and add sauce once they are hot.)
As I said before, this is a straight forward easy method for ribs. You can always add butter, brown sugar and sauce to your foil wrap. There are no rules. Have fun with it.
Racks of ribs typically have about 12 bones per rack. Use this to judge how many to cook.
Serve it up with a side of our Tailgatin' Playlist!
