How to Cook Pork Ribs on the Grill
Incredibly tender ribs cooked slowly on the grill are full of amazing flavor!
Cost $15
Equipment
- Tinfoil (aluminum pan optional)
- Gas Grill
- Small Saucepan
- Basting Brush
Ingredients
- 1 rack pork spareribs
- ½ cup pork seasoning mix
- 1 cup apple juice
- ½ cup apricot preserves
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Prepare the Pork Ribs
- Remove the ribs from the packaging and pat dry.
- Remove the silver skin from the backside of the ribs.
- Place into the center of a foiled-lined baking sheet.
- Season each side of the pork ribs with about ¼ cup of the pork seasoning rub.
- Massage the rub into the meat.
- Add the apple juice to the foil lined pan.
- Cover the ribs with tinfoil.
Preparing the Grill
- Preheat the grill to 275° F.
- Clean the grill grates.
- Spray the grates with cooking oil.
Cook the Ribs
- Add the covered ribs to the center of the grill and close the lid.
- The best way to grill ribs slowly is to let them cook for 2 hours.
- In a small saucepan, combine the preserves with the apple cider vinegar over medium heat until it comes together.
- Carefully open the foil and remove the ribs, placing them directly on the grill grates.
- Brush both sides the ribs with the preserve glaze.
- Turn the heat up to 300-degrees F and cook on each side for 6-10 minutes to add a little char to the ribs.
- Remove and let rest 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions (and answers!) readers often ask about the Best Way to Grill Ribs.
What is the difference between St Louis ribs and baby back ribs?
Generally speaking, St Louis style ribs have more meat than baby back ribs, which I personally prefer.
How many ribs should I make per person?
If you're serving ribs as your main dish, plan on three to four ribs per person. Usually has 13 to 14 individual ribs on it. If you are cooking for 5 people, you'll want to plan on 2 packages of ribs.
What do you serve with St. Louis style ribs?
These yummy pork ribs pair wonderfully with a nice merlot. Try one of these great side dishes alongside your perfectly cooked ribs: Grilled Corn,
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad, or Grilled Vegetable Kabobs.
Roasted Sweet Potato Salad, or Grilled Vegetable Kabobs.
What temperature do you cook ribs to?
Determining the correct internal temperature for ribs can be tricky. According to USDA, pork should be cooked to 145°F.
However, cooking your ribs longer will help the fat melt and meat become more tender. Therefore, I cook my ribs until they are 190 to 203°F.
📖 Variations
Because we test all our recipes, we recommend that you make them once just as it is without substitutions or changes. Sometimes variations can go awry. Following our recipe for the best way to grill ribs as we have tested it will yield the best results.
If you really want to get creative, here are some ideas for variations that might work well. (Please note, we have not tested these variations).
However, cooking your ribs longer will help the fat melt and meat become more tender. Therefore, I cook my ribs until they are 190 to 203°F.
- Instead of apricot preserves, you can use orange marmalade or peach preserves in the basting sauce.
- For a quicker method, cook the ribs at 300°F for 1 hour, instead of 200°F for 2 hours. Follow the rest of the instructions. Please note, these ribs will still be tasty, but not as tender as our slow cooker method.