Can anyone help me cook pork ribs?

[kenny]

Never tried before.
I know I know, I should be eating tofu.

I'm not going to grill them outside.
I'm cooking them in the oven.

The Costco package has 3 layers of ribs.
Can I just throw them all in stacked 3 layers high, or do they have to cook in one layer?
I'd rather cook them all at once, then freeze the cooked ribs.

The directions say the pan must be at least 2" deep or there will be too much "purge'?
What's purge?
At 4" is this pan deep enough since the 3 layers of ribs will be 3" high?
That leaves only 1" above the top of the ribs.

 

[House Cat]

You can cook them in foil. When I want to oven bake my ribs, I wrap them in foil and crimp the edges. Only one rack of ribs per foil enclosure. Then I set them on a cookie sheet and bake away.

I learned the method from Alton Brown. I bet if you google him and ribs, you can find the method.

The purge is the juices? When you cook them in foil, the ribs cook in the juices and become very tender

 

[kenny]

Thanks.
Would you cut them before or after cooking?

 

[Sungura]

Cut them after cooking. I am used Costco ribs and the foil method housecat described. You might cut each long section of ribs into two if they fit into a foil packet better. The juices stay inside the packets. I guess you could stack them in that big pan. I usually put my packets in a Pyrex brownie pan. After they are cooked I take them out of the packets and let them cool a bit. For the ribs I plan to eat then and there I cut them and put some BBQ sauce on them and them vack in the oven (or on the grill) for 10 minutes or so to "finish them".

 

[kenny]

Thanks all.
They're in the oven.

The aluminum foil we had wasn't wide enough to seal up an entire rack; there were 2.
So I just cut it up into individual ribs this time.
Each of the 6 foil packets held only 4 to 6 ribs.

I did consult Alton Brown's Youtube video for the temp and times.

Thanks so much!
Now I'll be up till midnight.
I have to stay up late to use the oven with all the windows open.
Daytime highs are in the 80s here, and we have no AC,

 

[PintoBean]

Can these ribs be cooked in a crock pot? Any tips?

 

[kenny]

I saw 2 Youtube videos about that, but both called for soda.
Dr Pepper, or Coca Cola.
Yuck!

I needed to get them cooking asap so I stopped looking at crock pot recipes.
But next time ...

 

[Austina]

We got some from Costco when we visited our son, he sous vide them, then just smoked them on the BBQ for a little while. They were absolutely delicious. He also does that with their brisket and it melts in your mouth.

 

[arkieb1]

When I cook them in the oven, I put the foil over the top of the whole cooking pot, and if the foil is too short put two lots and let it overlap in the middle, we cook them really slowly on a low heat for several hours in the oven so the meat is falling off the bone and then you can reduce the sauce (it probably should be already) or get some more rib sauce from Costco and put them on racks and then put them back in the oven on a bit higher heat to brown a bit and keep brushing with the glaze or the juices every 5 or so minutes until they are a bit darker and they should be great. People that add the cola etc like them really really sweet, I personally don't like them that way. If you want to do the same thing again cheaper, buy the ribs without the marinade from you local butcher or Costco and buy a decent quality rib sauce or BBQ marinate sauce, tip it out into a container, put some plastic wrap or a lid on them and let them marinate in that in the refrigerator all night or at least for a few hours (half a day is good) and then cook. Slow low heat and the foil or a cover on top of the cooking container keeps the moisture in, and then we like to brown them off and glaze them at the end.

 

[rainydaze]

How were they?

 

[dk168]

When making ribs at home, I prefer to cut them up and marinade them individually first before placing them in a single layer on a rack inside a roasting tray.

During roasting/baking, I would brush/baise some marinade on the ribs.

This is the same as cooking them over a BBQ, and I would make freezer packs of a couple of marinaded ribs to take with me on camping trips as part of a selection that includes chicken thighs, beef burgers, diced lamb, sausages etc.

Nowadays I prefer lamb ribs to pork ones, marinaded using a dry spice rub.

DK

 

[Arcadian]

If I do pork ribs (which is maybe once a year anymore) I use Boston Jerk Seasoning (the spicy) and a touch of brown sugar because that jerk is hotter than hell. I won't buy pre-coated ribs. In Mass I would go to one of the local farms to get them. Down here I go to Mr Meat.

I'd be interested in how they turned out Kenny.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I combine oven and crock put with great success. I usually only do one "rack" at a time since I feel it's more than enough for 2-3 people and that's what fits in the crock pot. First they get seasoned with whatever dry rub you like, then roasted at 500 for 15 min each side (it helps get some of the fat off) then they go in the crock pot with 1/2-1 cup of whatever sauce you want on low for about 10 hours or high for 6 (I've done both). When they come out you can add some more sauce and put them back in the oven for a bit to char up or serve them as is. The will be absolutely fall off the bone delicious!

Regarding the sauce "leftover" in the crock pot after cooking: I will often use a fat separator to remove the fat and then reduce the sauce to re-use on the ribs.

 

[cmd2014]

I do them a bunch of ways: Oven cooked like people say - after seasoning with rub of choice, each rack is laid flat on a sheet pan (foiled for easy cleanup), covered with foil, and cooked in a low oven (250-300) until tender, then sauce with BBQ sauce and broiled under the broiler to brown and glaze.

In my pressure cooker: season and coil into the PC on their side. Add in 1 cup water flavoured with a bit of bbq spice, liquid smoke, and a tbsp or so of bbq sauce. Cook at high pressure 15 minutes (more or less depending on how fall off the bone you like them to be), let pressure release naturally, and broil with a bit of BBQ sauce to finish.

On the BGE: rub with bbq seasoning and let sit overnight. smoke at 225 for 3 hours, wrap in foil with a bit of liquid and cook for about another hour (until tender), grill at high temp to glaze and brown.

For the crockpot I prefer country style ribs: Cook overnight on low in water with a couple of bay leaves, a couple of garlic cloves, a bit of liquid smoke and a tbsp or so of bbq sauce. Drain in the morning and cook with bbq sauce over top on low until dinner time. Yummy and moist, with a surprising amount of flavour. I do this with beef short ribs too. Serve over rice.

 

[Sungura]

I'm so happy to read everyone's rib cooking techniques. I'm definitely going to tweak my process

 

[kenny]

Thank you so much, all.
I'm going to try these suggestions in the future.
That is, if the fat from these doesn't kill me.

Ignorant, I bought St Louis Pork ribs.
Apparently the other type, baby back, has less fat and are more tender.
Next time.
Also, beef may be healthier than pork.

They turned out pretty good.
Not the best but still very good.
They came with Costco's gunk on them so I didn't do rub or add BBQ sauce at the end so they may have been a hair less deadly for a diabetic.
BBQ sauce is chock full of sugar and salt, what SO must avoid.

Before cooking I did peel away that membrane that covers the underside.
Several videos recommended doing that, grabbing it with a folded up paper towel for friction.
Then they cooked, cut, in several sealed pods of foil.
I was amazed how much liquid was left over at the end.
I put the liquid in the fridge overnight, pulled off the fat and reduced the liquid for a dipping sauce, in lieu of BBQ sauce.

The ribs cooked at 225 for 3 hours, and came out very tender.
Safety calls for pork to reach 145 F, but I read cooking ribs longer to bring them up to 190ish makes them even more tender.

Now I'll freeze them in individual servings using my vacuum Foodsaver machine.

Thanks again.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Thank you so much, all.
I'm going to try these suggestions in the future.
That is, if the fat from these doesn't kill me.

Ignorant, I bought St Louis Pork ribs.
Apparently the other type, baby back, has less fat and are more tender.
Next time.
Also, beef may be healthier than pork.

They turned out pretty good.
Not the best but still very good.
They came with Costco's gunk on them so I didn't do rub or add BBQ sauce at the end so they may have been a hair less deadly for a diabetic.
BBQ sauce is chock full of sugar.

Before cooking I did peel away that membrane that covers the underside.
Several videos recommended doing that, grabbing it with a folded up paper towel for friction.
Then they cooked, cut, in several pods of foil.
I was amazed how much liquid was left over at the end.
I put it in the fridge overnight and pulled off the fat and reduced the liquid for a dipping sauce, in lieu of BBQ sauce.

It cooked at 225 for 3 hours, and they came out very tender.
Safety calls for pork to reach 145 F, but I read cooking ribs longer to bring them up to 190ish makes them even more tender.

Now I'll freeze them in individual servings using my vacuum Foodsaver machine.

Thanks again.

What time should I stop by for leftovers?!

 

[kenny]

What time should I stop by for leftovers?!

Lunch is served in 1 hour.
We'll break out the booze and guitars.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Lunch is served in 1 hour.
We'll break out the booze and guitars.

I'm in!!!

 

[kenny]

I love cooking huge batches and freezing.
For the same work as one meal you get five times the results.

Now is the best time.
All the work is done, the kitchen is clean, and I have several microwave meals ready to go.
They don't look as red as usual because they're not slathered with BBQ sauce.
I'm careful to leave space between them so they don't freeze together, in case I want only one.
Also, the space lets me take out some and reseal the same bag.
Them bags are expensive.

 

[cmd2014]

Thank you so much, all.
I'm going to try these suggestions in the future.
That is, if the fat from these doesn't kill me.

Ignorant, I bought St Louis Pork ribs.
Apparently the other type, baby back, has less fat and are more tender.
Next time.
Also, beef may be healthier than pork.

They turned out pretty good.
Not the best but still very good.
They came with Costco's gunk on them so I didn't do rub or add BBQ sauce at the end so they may have been a hair less deadly for a diabetic.
BBQ sauce is chock full of sugar and salt, what SO must avoid.

Before cooking I did peel away that membrane that covers the underside.
Several videos recommended doing that, grabbing it with a folded up paper towel for friction.
Then they cooked, cut, in several sealed pods of foil.
I was amazed how much liquid was left over at the end.
I put the liquid in the fridge overnight, pulled off the fat and reduced the liquid for a dipping sauce, in lieu of BBQ sauce.

The ribs cooked at 225 for 3 hours, and came out very tender.
Safety calls for pork to reach 145 F, but I read cooking ribs longer to bring them up to 190ish makes them even more tender.

Now I'll freeze them in individual servings using my vacuum Foodsaver machine.

Thanks again.

Peeling the membrane is mandatory. Sorry, I forgot to mention this (some come pre-peeled). Otherwise it stays tough no matter how you cook the ribs.

St. Louis ribs are meatier than baby back ribs, but need to be cooked longer to render out their fat and to become tender.

I cook my ribs by feel, but by temp to be fully tender they need to reach at least 195 and some prefer to go as high as 205. Don't go beyond that or you'll cook all the juiciness out of them.

Dry ribs are tasty too - just re-season with spice rub after the slow moist cook and before broiling/grilling. Or defatting and reusing the cooking liquid (if you go the foiled or pan route) is tasty too.

Country style ribs done in the crock pot are probably the least fatty if you drain the water (where all the rendered fat goes) and then spice rub and broil them.

I have a home made BBQ sauce recipe that uses Splenda if you'd like it. It was designed for people doing Atkins. It does have a bit of a Splenda aftertaste though if you are sensitive to that (I got used to that when I was eating low carb, but I notice it now that I'm not). Personally, I prefer doing alternate marinades now: lemon, olive oil, dried oregano, & garlic for Greek ribs or chicken (sometimes I add a splash of red wine vinegar too); lemon, pesto, olive oil, and salt/pepper for chicken - it's really good on grilled chicken breasts; olive oil, fresh rosemary and garlic for steaks; spicy rather than sweet rubs for chicken and pork chops (Bad Byron's Butt Rub is a tasty mix). I just mix to taste, so probably do 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1 - 2 cloves minced garlic, a tsp of dried spice, or a couple tbsp of fresh, plus salt and pepper to taste - make the marinade a bit more acidic and a bit saltier than you would make a salad dressing. For the pesto marinade I add a couple of tbsp to the lemon and olive oil/garlic mix.

I also make a satay marinade out of 1/3 cup light coconut milk, 2-3 tbs fish sauce, 1 tsp Taste of Thai red curry sauce, and 1 -2 tsp of sugar. Marinate chicken breasts, pork tenderloin cutlets, or beef strips in it for about an hour, grill them and serve with a tbsp or two of satay sauce. I make mine with 1/3 cup each of light coconut milk and natural peanut butter, blended in a mini food processor (for ease of making) with 1 tbsp (or more to taste) of soy sauce, 1 tbsp (or more to taste) of Sriracha, 1 - 2 tsp of sugar or Splenda (which works pretty well here as the strong flavours cover the vague metallic taste) to taste, and sometimes a squeeze of lime juice if I think it needs a bit of brightness. I like it spicy so I sometimes add in a tbsp of chili garlic sauce too. The Rooster brand is pretty good.

 

[cmd2014]

Those look good Kenny! I love big batch cooking too. Nothing says love like easy leftover meals in the freezer!

Oh here's my coleslaw recipe (lower sugar than normal) to go with those ribs:

3/4 cups Hellman's Mayo (6 ounces if you have a scale)
1 tbsp dijon mustard (3/4 ounce)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar (or Splenda)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chipotle powder (less if you prefer less spicy - this gets hotter as it sits)
salt to taste

1 bag coleslaw mix (can shred your own, but why bother)
1 small bag pecan halves (I think they're around 300g here), toasted (so maybe 3/4 - 1 cup). you can skip the pecans and it will still be really good (good on pulled pork sandwiches too), but for eating it as a side dish they make it fancy.
1 shredded granny smith apple (optional - I tend to leave it out because I'm lazy)
The original recipe called for a medium sliced red onion too, but I skip it because I hate raw onion. Ymmv.

Mix the sauce. Toss in a big bowl with everything else. Let sit a few minutes and it's ready to go.

 

[PintoBean]

As a less sugary alternative - my MIL cooks her ribs in tomato sauce - Italian style.

 

[kenny]

As a less sugary alternative - my MIL cooks her ribs in tomato sauce - Italian style.

Hmm, ribs simmered all day in a crotch pot of tomato sauce, garlic and oregano sounds yummie.

Thanks.

 

[PintoBean]

Hmm, ribs simmered all day in a crotch pot of tomato sauce, garlic and oregano sounds yummie.

Thanks.

Ermagherd I hope you meant CROCK

 

[Karl_K]

I pretty much use the either the crock pot or the foil methods outlined above.
Beef ribs are much better for you. Fat side up over a low temperature gas grill for a couple hours. Start with the grill at 450-500 and put them on and shut the burners off, when it hits 200 turn one burner on low at a time until it keeps the temperature around 200 to 250 until internal temp hits 170+.
Do not flip until the fat has mostly rendered.

Make your own sauce, tomato sauce/paste, brown sugar and spices to taste.
I like just a little pepper and back when I could eat it garlic.
Others like it hot peppers and or hot sauce.
Put the sauce on when it hits 200 not at first.

I also like just using a1 steak sauce lightly diluted with water.

 

[Karl_K]

Also with the above method if its close to time to eat and they are a bit under temp you can wrap them in foil and turn up the grill or use the oven to finish them.

 

[arkieb1]

Hmm, ribs simmered all day in a crotch pot of tomato sauce, garlic and oregano sounds yummie.

Thanks.

You can cook them a variety of styles, put in garlic, ginger, soy sauce and or hoisin sauce, or a decent quality teriyaki sauce and hey presto Asian style ribs. I agree with DK168 if you want something completely different try the lamb ones, these are obviously smaller and taste completely different to pork ribs, but they are amazing too and are wonderful with a spice rub but I think you can get them already marinaded in Asian, Middle Eastern and other style sauces as well, or google lamb ribs and you will find a number of great recipes.