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bbq ribs recipe
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4.75 from 8 votes

Charcoal Grilled Ribs

Smoke the perfect barbecue pork ribs on your charcoal grill with our step-by-step recipe and guide. Cooked over indirect heat and applewood, this smoked rack of spare ribs will rival anything you’ve had before.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time3 hours 45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, BBQ
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 1 rack spare rib pork ribs
  • 1 Bottle BBQ sauce
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • heavy duty foil

Instructions

  • Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs and trim off any excess fat. Pat the rack of ribs dry with a paper towel.
  • Combine the smoked paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, salt, and oregano in a bowl.
  • Sprinkle the rub very liberally over both sides of the ribs and the edges.
  • Light your charcoal and place in the grill. Leave to heat up until charcoal has started to turn white with ash. Add wood chunks and put the grate back in the rack.
  • Fill an aluminum pan with water. Place it on the grill grate, directly above the charcoals. Get the internal temperature of the grill up to 180F/80C.
  • Place the ribs on the side of the grill without charcoal underneath it. Close the lid and leave to cook for an hour.
  • After one hour, check the water and charcoals. Add a handful of more wood chunks.
  • After a further hour, wrap the ribs in a double layer of aluminum foil. Put back on the grill and cook for another hour.
  • Remove aluminum foil from ribs and cook for 30-60 more minutes.
  • Apply a thin layer of BBQ sauce to each side of the ribs and cook for 5 minutes before adding another layer. Repeat this process 4-5 times in total.
  • Remove from grill and place on chopping board. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
  • With a long knife and tongs, cut the ribs evenly and uniformly between the bones.
  • Serve up and enjoy!