The 10 Commandments of Ribs

Today, I'm revealing my secrets, my foolproof tips, so that you can make the best ribs in the world.

1. Choosing your smokehouse

Let's start strong with the basics: which smoker should you use to make good ribs?

There are several that are interesting. The Weber Smokey Mountain are really great. I would even say that in terms of their quality-price ratio, there is no better smoker on the market. Weber has been making this model for about forty years and it is guaranteed from start to finish. You will go crazy with this.

One of my favorite BBQs is the Weber Summit Kamado . It has a double wall in it, so it's super well insulated. I can also cook ribs faster in that BBQ because I have good control over the temperature.

Otherwise, pellet BBQs are truly incredible; you will always get a "spot on" result with them. What is particularly "fun" with a pellet BBQ is that it makes cooking easier. You just have to light the BBQ, put the meat in, and go have a beer with your guests while it is ready. The cooking, the amount of smoke, the taste... everything is perfect. I'll even tell you that there are many BBQ world champions who win with pellet BBQs, whether they are Camp Chef or Yoder . Pellet BBQs are well made, durable and "fully equipped", but, on the other hand, when it is windy and really cold, this type of BBQ is less insulated than a charcoal BBQ. I therefore advise you to put a cover on it to insulate it, make it more efficient and save pellets.

If I had to choose, I would say that the best BBQs for making ribs are the Weber Summit Kamado, Kamado Joe and pellet BBQs (Camp Chef does a good job, for example).

In fact, you can cook small pieces of meat and large ones in any BBQ. The important thing is that you can cook them as evenly as possible. Keep in mind, however, that the more well insulated and well designed the BBQ is, the easier it will be for you to make good BBQ. Indeed, all BBQs can smoke, but if you have a BBQ that is easy to control, you will really enjoy it more.

2. Selecting your cut of meat

As you probably know, there are two types of ribs: back ribs, called “baby back ribs”; and side ribs, called “St-Louis ribs”.

Back ribs are, in my opinion, the "best". These are the "classic" and "traditional" ribs found in Quebec. Of the two types of ribs, this one is the easiest to cook and it tastes very, very good. What I particularly like about these ribs is that I can eat the meat around each bone.

The side ribs are stuck to the part of the pig that the bacon is made from. And here, I would tell you that a rib that was stuck to the part of the bacon on which bacon is put is even better than bacon alone, "OMG"!

St. Louis ribs are totally different from baby back ribs. The amount of fat, the thickness… there are several differences and it’s sick. In fact, if I cook St. Louis ribs, there are like five or six bones that will look incredible and sexy, but the others… not so much. So I’ll save them to make pulled pork and put that in my tacos, my burgers or on my pizza.

In any case, Quebec pork, let's be honest, is the bomb. Yes, yes. Here, we are lucky to have what I consider to be the best pork in the world, so don't be shy about getting some! In fact, supporting local producers is very important to me, so I encourage you to do it too. 😊

If you're going to cook more than one rib, however, I recommend getting them that are roughly the same size so everyone can eat at the same time. (When cooking them, place the larger one closest to the heat source so they can shield the smaller ones.)

3. Keep or remove the membrane?

One of the questions I get asked most often when people are making ribs is, "What do I do with the membrane? Do I keep it in or do I take it out?" Well, you can do either.

The "silverskin", the white membrane found on the back of the ribs, is actually what keeps the juices, juices and flavor inside the piece of meat. The thing about the membrane is that if you keep it, your meat may be a little stiffer in the mouth... But there's something else that can happen too!

In fact, if you heat it too much, it can crack and roll up on itself, which will cause all the spices you put on it to clump together. So your meat will be very salty and very sweet in one place, and not at all anywhere else. Not only that, the "clump of spices" also makes it so that all the rest of the meat is unseasoned and unprotected by the membrane. Ultimately, this can slowly but surely dehydrate and dry out your meat.

I say that, but it all depends on what you want to do. People who do 1000 ribs a day in competition, for example, have to produce in quantity, so they keep the membrane.

If you decide to remove the membrane, I recommend working with a knife that is not dangerous/sharp, like a butter knife. The trick I can give you to remove it is to look at which of the two sides of your rib has a more "sharp" and rounder end at the bone. Poke your knife under the membrane which is about the fifth bone on the rounder side (if you can't figure out which side is rounder, that's okay; you just risk fighting with the membrane more 🙈). Then lift up a little of the membrane with the knife, then put a finger between the knife and the membrane. Hold the rib with the knife, then slowly pull on the membrane with your hand. You will see, it should come off easily.

The good thing about not having a membrane is that the meat cooks more evenly and you risk losing less spices. It's really a matter of preference and time.

Oh! And while you're removing the membrane, I also recommend removing the "skirt" from your rib. The "skirt" is the little extra piece that hangs on your piece of meat. Obviously, that too is up to you; you can keep it too.

4. “Rubber” the meat for a “wow” effect

A “rub” is a dry marinade that is put on a piece of meat to give it a nice spice crust.

Although it is not a "rub" as such and it is not mandatory to put it, those who know me know, I always recommend putting Booster BBQ Québec flavor enhancer on the pieces of meat before cooking them. With this, you will salivate more and taste more of what you eat.

Then, if you are tired of the "classic", sweeter ribs, like those found in Kansas City, I recommend you to put Jamaican Jerk BBQ Québec dry marinade on your ribs. If, basically, you are a fan of Jamaican jerk, you will see, this spice is the bomb.

Otherwise, if you like to eat more spicy, I recommend you to use the Tex-Max BBQ Québec dry marinade . You can even mix it with your favorite dry marinade and you will have a solid mix at the end.

Prefer to go out of the ordinary and go with something that isn't sweet at all? Texas BBQ Quebec Dry Marinade is totally sick!

Otherwise, if I have only one dry rub to make you try, I recommend Sweet Kansas BBQ Québec . You can put it everywhere: on your eggs, your toast, your chicken wings, your pork shoulders, your ribs… it’s good with everything! I would even say that if you want to be sure to win the hearts of your guests or win a BBQ competition, Sweet Kansas is what you need! It’s the bomb!

Personally, a recipe I like to do is to put a little bit of Booster flavor enhancer on both sides of my ribs (don't put too much, the meat should still be visible through the grains) so that the meat starts to shine and its flavor explodes in your mouth, then sprinkle a little bit of Tex-Max dry rub (if you like spicy food, this is sick!), and finally some Sweet Kansas dry rub. I send it to the BBQ in indirect cooking zone and let the magic happen!

5. To wrap meat or not?

I've been told by BBQ world champions, "If you don't foil, you don't win." So basically, if you don't wrap your ribs in foil or butcher's foil, you don't win.

Typically, when it comes to making ribs, people will mostly work with aluminum foil. Why? Because it keeps more of the liquid in. So it's perfect, because when you wrap your meat in that, halfway through cooking, you'll wrap it with butter, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, Jack Daniel's... whatever you like, and it'll preserve the flavor better.

If, on the other hand, you wrap your rib in butcher paper , the liquid will leak out. On the other hand, it will help your meat breathe better and have a nicer crust. In case you don't want to make a "competition" style rib with butter, sauce, etc., and just want to protect your meat so that it stays juicy and doesn't lose a lot of liquid, butcher paper is a good option. (Be careful though, always use unwaxed butcher paper!)

Otherwise, a mix of aluminum foil and butcher paper is also a very interesting way to do it. It's even what real experts, BBQ champions, use when they make ribs!

No matter what paper(s) you use, the important thing is to remember to wrap your rib during cooking. In fact, halfway through cooking, when the meat has an internal temperature of about 160°F, that's when you should wrap it. At this temperature, it will already have a nice "bark", a magic crust, and will be perfectly sexy. So you will wrap it with a little juice, butter, broth, beer... (if you use aluminum foil!) and send it back to the BBQ to finish cooking afterwards.

6. Cooking the rib to the perfect temperature

Honestly, ribs can be cooked at several temperatures; it all depends on your level of experience and how much time you have.

You should know, however, that a rib is a piece of meat that has a lot of fat, collagen and marbling. It therefore needs to be either: cooked slowly so that the fat melts or cooked at a high temperature and taken out just in time to be successful.

If this is your first time cooking ribs on the BBQ, I recommend cooking them at 225, 250, 275 or 300 °F; ideally, always at the lowest temperature possible (and here, let's say your BBQ is at 219 °F, that's okay too! 😉). The longer the cooking, the better the taste will be.

A temperature between 225 and 325°F is, in my opinion, the perfect cooking temperature for ribs. Again, I still recommend always cooking at the lowest temperature possible.

7. Know the variations to save time

If you're planning to have people over to your house and watch the Super Bowl, for example, and when they arrive you don't notice the time passing and you forgot to put your ribs on the BBQ, you can prepare them differently!

My solution: make finger ribs! After seasoning your ribs, you slice them bone by bone, leaving only a little meat around each piece and then cook them on the BBQ as you would have done if the ribs were whole. The only difference: the meat will cook much faster this way.

Halfway through cooking, when the meat has an internal temperature of 160°F, as usual, you will wrap it in aluminum foil or butcher's foil, and I swear, you will love the end result! It's a way of doing things that is simple, effective and that will please everyone. In addition, the meat will have a superb caramelization all around. It's sick!

8. Let the meat cook

One of the BBQ pros once told me something, and I've always remembered it: "If you're looking, you're not cooking." In other words, if you're always opening your BBQ to look at your cuts of meat, turn them over or check for doneness, the meat IS NOT COOKING.

The lid of your BBQ should remain closed while your ribs are cooking. Yes, I know, it can be hard to resist the smell, but you have to be strong! Here's a little tip that can help you with this: when you close something, you open something else. So close the lid of your BBQ and crack open a beer to help pass the time. 😉

When your ribs have an internal temperature of 200-205°F (and the thermometer goes into the meat like soft butter!), the wait is finally over and you can remove them from the BBQ!

9. Add sauce to make the meat amazing

Once your ribs are ready (they may have already had sauce in their packaging, but it's ESPECIALLY at the end that you need to add it), you may be wondering what sauce to use to "change their life" (yes, if you're going to enhance their taste, you might as well be a little dramatic 😜).

As for sauces, I'll tell you a little secret: world champions are increasingly working with Quebec sauces. It's really "cool", because it proves that in Quebec, we really do have extraordinary sauces! I'm thinking, among others, of a team in Texas that won competitions with theSJB thick red caramel sauce , a sauce that is completely sick with ribs. You'll see, you'll make your ribs "shine" with that, and you'll spoil yourself a lot by eating them!

Pat BBQ sauces are also excellent, as are several other superb Quebec products from companies like LL Prohibition , Sugar Daddy Bacon , What the Pork?, Theo BBQ and more!

Otherwise, as always, I worked very hard to create completely amazing sauce recipes for you. Our BBQ Québec sauces are, for the most part, ideal with ribs. I am thinking in particular of theNashville BBQ Québec sauce that I created expressly for this (use it when wrapping your meat) and the Citron Sucré BBQ Québec sauce that is perfectly balanced and that makes kids trip. For the final glaze, on the other hand, my biggest secret is the Champion BBQ Québec sauce . 😉 If there is one sauce that you must put on your ribs so that they shine “forever”, it is this famous sauce. It has fruity and vanilla notes and a little spicy “kick” that is very well balanced. Mmm !

10. Wow everyone with a fiery recipe

When you want to take your BBQ game to the next level, I suggest you make a totally sick recipe to impress everyone. That recipe is my Pork Loin with Rib “Armor” recipe.

Oh yes, it's as amazing as you imagine and it tastes like heaven! 😍

I'll leave you the recipe here if you want the new "king" (or the new "queen") of your neighborhood BBQ: https://bbqquebec.com/blogs/recettes/longe-de-porc-avec-une-armure-de-cotes-levees .

11. (BONUS!) Prepare the ground

The information I'm going to tell you here should rather be at step 0, but I figured you probably already knew all this, so it's more like a reminder that I'm giving you. 😉

Before you start cooking your ribs, be prepared and well equipped. Make sure you have a thermometer with you. This is really the basis for everything. In fact, you don't even need a BBQ to use this! I repeat, but several factors can influence the cooking time, so it is always better to rely on the internal temperature of the meat than the cooking time to know if it is ready.

Clean your BBQ grill before you put any food on it too! You don't want any dirt to collect on your beautiful cuts of meat! (For a good clean and to keep your grills looking brand new, I recommend using the Grill Daddy Pro .)

To give a nice smoky taste to your pieces of meat, I recommend using pieces (or "chunks") of wood or apple or maple charcoal. Otherwise, oak wood tastes better and Exotique BBQ Québec charcoal gives something very, very "hot". My classic, on the other hand, is to go with maple wood.

And… there you have it! Now you know everything!

Happy BBQ!