Work From Home Ribs
December 2, 2020
written by
Rex Vokey
slow cooking
So you’re fortunate enough to have a job, but you can’t go into the office? What a great opportunity to do a long-cook recipe. Since BBQ isn’t quite set-and-forget like a crock pot is, you gotta be around to check on it once in a while. Having recently acquired a free Traeger grill while out on one of my runs, I utilized my electronics skills to diagnose and repair it. It’s a little bit ugly, but it works!
timing
Now, you can’t just throw ribs in a grill and forget about them. They need to be checked on periodically. So doing this required my scheduling the cook time around my work schedule (not the other way around!). I timed it so I got everything going during my lunch break, and set up a wireless thermometer to monitor things from my desk. Then, I didn’t have to get up and check on them unnecessarily.
recipe
After talking with a friend that has a smoker (Traeger), and browsing through the numerous recipes Traeger has on their site, I ended up with a mishmash of recipes. So I really sort of ended up with my own, I suppose you’d say. Here it is.
meat
I used three whole racks of pork ribs for this.
rub
- kosher salt
- coarse ground black pepper
- paprika
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- chili powder
Some like to precisely measure these and mix them up prior to rubbing, but I prefer to sprinkle them on directly and wing it, honestly. It seems to work out pretty well.
cook
- rub 5 hours in advance. return to fridge
- pull out of the fridge an hour before cooking
- heat grill to 225F for 15+ minutes
- cook approximately 3 hours, or until internal temp of 160-165F, meat side of the ribs facing up, directly on grill (I tried to keep them on the cooler side of the grill)
- get enough heavy-duty foil to full wrap the ribs and sprinkle brown sugar (or coconut sugar, which is all I had on hand), some butter, and some bbq sauce in the middle
- take the ribs off the grill and wrap them in the foil, with the meat facing down
- place back on the grill, still with the meat facing down, for approximately another 2 hours, or until the internal temps are around 195-200F
- remove the ribs from the grill and remove them from the foil
- coat both sides in your favorite bbq sauce (I used Kinder’s, but only because I couldn’t find my favorite: Bone Suckin’ Sauce)
- cook meat side up for another hour or so
results
In the end, I was able to work, check on my BBQ, and end up with great results by dinner time! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed them.
