Do you LOVE the taste of low and slow BBQ, but don’t have a smoker at home? Me too, I’m right there with you. This is how you make BBQ Ribs, as good as you possibly can, without having a smoker. There are a few tips and tricks along the way to make that smokey flavour without actual smoke. 

First the ribs. They vary A LOT between retailers, some are small, some are ginormous. The most important thing is the meatiness of the ribs. Try and pick the ones with the most meat. It’s sad when you’ve put all this effort into the flavour and all you get is a few mouthfuls of meat. Depending on the size of the ribs, is how many people you can serve. I generally find a small rack serves one adult, but a big meaty rack can serve 2-3. So buy according to the amount of people you want to serve. Make sure you remove the membrane from the back of the ribs before applying the rub. There is a video below to show you how to do it if you are not familiar. 

Liquid Smoke. Take it or leave it. I like that it adds a nice smoky flavour to the ribs, but you can also get that when you choose your BBQ sauce, you can opt for one that has a smokey flavour. I sometimes use it, I sometimes don’t. So you decide if you want to use it or not. 

Next – the rub. I’m a big fan of letting the natural flavour of the meat shine, and I often use just SPG – Salt, pepper and garlic powder. This is not overpowering. It goes well with pretty much all BBQ sauces, and it’s a low and slow classic for a reason. Depending on how many ribs you are cooking, depends on how much rub you need. So you can scale the recipe to your needs, just remember you want a good covering of the rub all over the ribs. 

Time to bake. Put your ribs onto foil lined baking trays (helps with cleanup, you’ll thank me later), so that nothing is hanging over the ends. If you need to cut some ribs in half, to make them fit better, do it. To each tray, add 1/2 cup of water to each baking tray, this will help steam the ribs as they bake low and slow. Cover the trays TIGHTLY with foil. We want none of that steam to escape, this also means no peeking for 3.5 hours. If you peek, the steam will escape. 

3.5 hours after putting the ribs in the oven, you can peek. Test the bones, and they poking out? do they wiggle loosely in the meat? Does the meat feel tender? You need to judge and decide if the ribs need further cooking. Here is also when you’ll also realise if the ribs you bought are good quality or not, on how much meat is left after the rendering. 

When you judge your ribs to be ready, remove them from the oven, and generously cover them on both sides with your chosen BBQ sauce. I find a basting brush is best for this. Return the ribs to the oven for 20 minutes, allowing that BBQ sauce to soak in. Remove from oven again, baste again with BBQ sauce, and serve. 

To serve with the ribs I like a nice fresh, light coleslaw, corn on the cob with lots of butter and fresh rolls.