The weather is already warm here in Florida. Now is the perfect time to light up the grill. WalMart is the ultimate source for your barbecue essentials and great pork deals on your grilling favorites like bratwursts, pork chops and ribs- Extra Meaty Back Ribs, St. Louis Style Spareribs and Spareribs. Look for these popular cuts when shopping the meat case.
My husband has perfected his rib smoking capabilities over the years, and yesterday he grilled some pretty amazing ribs for us. His ingredient list is really short and his prep time is more simple than you would think. Once he puts them on the grill, the cook time is a cinch. Gone are the days of complicated ribs. No more boiling or broiling before grilling. Just rub them down with a couple of seasonings and a secret ingredient {well, not so secret after I give you the recipe} and put them on the grill to sit and smoke for a few hours. You’ll only need to check on them a couple of times. I promise this recipe is EASY!
Step one: Gather your ingredients, light the grill and prep your work space. Before you start with your ribs, light your grill. Since you’re smoking these ribs, you will only be using half of your grill space, meaning your coals and wood chips on one side and meat on the other. So, light the coals on one side of the grill and have the grates ready on the other side. Make sure your grill temperature is between 180-225 degrees Fahrenheit. We’re gonna be smoking these ribs, so slow and steady will win the race. No high temps when smoking on the grill.
When you begin the process of rubbing the ribs, or adding the seasonings, it can get a little messy. My husband likes to bleach {and rinse well} one side of the sink to disinfect it so he can lay the slabs of ribs right in there, as to not make a huge mess all of the counter tops or floor. Once finished with the rub, he can move to the other sink and wash his hands without dripping or making an additional mess. Thanks, husband!
You’ll need:
1 slab of Smithfield/Farmland St. Louis style ribs, name depends on market {found at WalMart}
1 Tbls. Seasoned Salt
1 Tbls. Garlic Salt
and our secret ingredient, 1 cup Brown Sugar
Step two: Rub your ribs. First, rub 1/2 C brown sugar to each side of your slab of ribs. Then, sprinkle each side of your ribs with Seasoned Salt and Garlic Salt. That’s it. Prep work to the ribs is complete. {Prep time = approx. 10 minutes}
Step three: Throw your ribs on the grill. You can spray them on each side with non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking to the grill rack, if you’d like. I don’t recommend spraying the rack directly, as it will cause the fire to flame up and, well, you might get burned. Spray your ribs directly. Please and thank you.
Place a log of green oak on the hot side, next to the coals. This will give you plenty of smoke. If you do not have green oak, you can add a foil pocket of wood chips {hickory, apple, cherry, whichever you prefer}, with a few holes punched on the top. This will also create smoke.
Step four: Turn your ribs every 30 minutes. You’ll want to turn them every 30 minutes for 3-3 1/2 hours or until done. Cook’s Tip: For extra juicy ribs, 30 minutes prior to pulling your ribs off of the grill, wrap them in aluminum foil to finish cooking.
Step five: Check the temperature of your rib meat. Look for an internal temperature of 160 degrees in the thickest rib before removing from the grill. Now would be the time to baste on your favorite sauce, if you’d like. Let it sit on the grill for just a few more minutes to caramelize, then remove ribs completely from grill. My husband lives by “if meat is seasoned and cooked correctly, it needs NO sauce!” But, I’m a sauce girl and I like me some sauce!
Have you seen the NEW flavors of A1 sauce? While at Walmart, be sure to pick up A.1.’s new spicy flavors – the perfect way to top off your favorite pork chops or ribs – in Sweet Chili Garlic, Spicy Chipotle, and Smokey Black Pepper! I was unaware there was more than the Original flavor until recently. The Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce was my favorite. It has a nice, subtle KICK to it. I see myself using this on so much more than ribs!
Step six: Try to keep your family and friends away from the cutting board long enough for you to get them all cut. And, ENJOY!
These ribs are so good that the platter, if they make it that far, will be empty in NO TIME! My 20-month-old loved them, too!
Now, it’s your turn! Now through September 7, the next time you toss pork on the grill, snap a photo and tag it with #GrillPorkSweeps on Instagram. If you tag your photo and fill out the sweepstakes form on the GrillPork.org site you’ll be entered to win a year’s worth of free groceries from Walmart! Photos with the hashtag will be uploaded to the GrillPork.org site. Enter the sweepstakes at GrillPork.org.
Disclaimer: I participated in the National Pork Board program as a member of One2One Network. I received compensation but all opinions are my own.
About Melissa Hillier
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