BBQ Ribs - suggestions needed!

I'm working on a batch of BBQ ribs for tomorrow night. We've only recently got a BBQ and we love it. We use it practically every night, but this will be the first time we've made ribs. I've just applied a dry rub (paprika, onion powder, pepper, salt and cayenne), wrapped them and put them in the fridge for the night. Tomorrow, I was planning on having BF put them in the slow cooker for a few hours before we grill them so that they'll be more tender. Our grill is a gas grill, so we can't slow cook on it (the temp can't be kept low enough, even when grilling indirectly).

Has anyone ever prepared ribs in a slow cooker before grilling? I'm wondering if I need to add liquid, because I'd like to keep the rub as much as possible since BF won't be having any BBQ sauce. I usually add liquid to the slow cooker when doing ribs (we'd usually broil with BBQ sauce after, since we didn't have a BBQ then), but this makes a lot of the rub end up in the liquid as a sort of sauce. Can I get away with no liquid? Can I just add a small amount (1/2 a cup or so for 2 racks) or does the liquid have to cover the meat completely?

Second question....if I do add liquid, would you recommend water or beer? Or something else entirely?

I appreciate any suggestions or advice you guys might have for me!

here is a recipe i found online.....

BBQ From the Crockpot to the Grill posted May 31, 2006
by Pamela Chester

Inspired by a recent trip up to Harlem for some barbecue at a place called Dinosaur Barbecue, “a genuine honky tonk rib joint” (and also a new branch of the original renowned Syracuse location), I thought about how I could make a delicious, long cooked barbecue feast at home.

To me, barbecue says summer all the way. But to get that slow cooked, smoky flavor requires lots of time patiently spent watching over a hot outdoor smoker or grill. Now this can be a fun project if you have a whole day or night to spare tending to the meat; but if you have a hectic schedule, and still want to enjoy some good old Southern style barbecue, there is another alternative you should consider.

In a two step process, you can use the crockpot to begin cooking your meal, and then finish it on the grill. The first step is to cook the meat, such as beef brisket or pork spareribs, that you will be barbecuing, gently over the lowest setting of the crockpot for up to eight hours

Advertisement:

until it is fully cooked, juicy, and cut-with-a-fork tender. You can then remove the meat from the crockpot and cool it along with the sauce that remains in the slow cooker. This step can be completed up to a full day in advance. The remaining sauce, skimmed of fat, can be used to baste the meat while it is being grilled, and can also be served on the side as a condiment. When you are ready, the second step is to grill the meat briefly over hot wood or coals to give it a caramelized and crispy exterior and permeate it with a smoky, succulent flavor.

If you want to skip the grill and just use the crockpot, another barbecue standby is Carolina style pulled pork sandwiches. My first taste of authentic Carolina pulled pork was at a little roadside stand on the way to the Outer Banks, in North Carolina. It sealed my preference for the tangy vinegar based barbecue sauce that is characteristic of the eastern half of the state. Of course, I would never turn down a pulled pork sandwich made with a tomato based sauce in the western Carolina style. Either way, pulled pork sandwiches are really very little work and can be made from start to finish in the crockpot. The recipe below comes from an old friend whose family is from the south, and is absolutely delicious. You can spice up the pork to your taste using hot sauce, salt and pepper. The best rolls to serve with these sandwiches are basic white rolls (white bread really goes with any type of barbecue, but cornbread is also delicious) and creamy coleslaw is the perfect complement to the zesty pork.

If you are planning to grill the meat, once you have completed the first step you can keep your crockpot out and use it to make some of the side dishes to go along with your barbecue feast. Baked beans are the perfect match to many barbecue dishes.
Collard greens are another classic barbecue accompaniment and you can adapt the following recipe to the crockpot by simmering the greens on low for 2-3 hours. To complete your feast you can also serve macaroni and cheese or potato salad.

So next time you have a craving for barbecue, pull out the slow cooker and fire up the grill, and even if you don’t live in the barbecue belt you can enjoy a delicious, roll-up-your-sleeves kind of meal.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 16
Ready in: > 5 hrs

* 1/2 cup cider vinegar
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
* 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
* 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
* 1 teaspoon ground red cayenne pepper
* 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 (4 to 6 lb.) boneless pork shoulder-blade roast or Boston butt roast cut into 2 pieces, fat removed
* 16 soft buns (or more)
* creamy coleslaw

Combine all ingredients, except pork, buns, and cole slaw. For a tomato based sauce, add an additional 1/2 cup each of your favorite BBQ sauce and ketchup.

In a crockpot, place the pork pieces, pour sauce over to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours until pork is very tender and falling apart (may be cooked overnight).

Transfer pork to a large bowl or platter, cool and pull apart with fingers or two forks, removing any visible fat. Place shredded pork back into the sauce.

Serve on buns topped with creamy coleslaw and additional hot sauce to taste for a true Southern Style pulled pork sandwich.

Spicy Chipotle Beef Brisket Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 6
Ready in: > 5 hrs

* 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 2 yellow onions, chopped
* 4 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce,
* drained (sauce reserved) and chopped
* 1/4 cup reserved chipotle sauce
* 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1 bottle (16 ounce size) lager or other light beer
* 1 flat-end beef brisket (2 1/2 to 3 lb. size) trimmed (can substitute pork spareribs)
* Salt and pepper, to taste

In a crockpot, combine the garlic, onions, chipotle chilies, adobo sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, mustard and beer. Season the brisket with salt and pepper. Place the brisket, fat side up, in the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 8 hours.

Transfer the brisket and juices to a shallow pan and let cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Spoon the solidified fat off the sauce. Transfer the brisket to a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to grill.

Transfer the sauce to a large saucepan. For a smoother sauce, pass through or a regular or handheld blender. Set the pan over medium-low heat, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 hours.

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill. Place the brisket on the grill and cook until crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Turn the brisket over and cook until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes more. Brush the top of the meat with sauce, turn the brisket over and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, then repeat.

Transfer the brisket to a carving board and brush with more of the reserved sauce. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice the brisket against the grain and serve with the remaining sauce alongside.

Oh, man, now I'm going to have to go to the grocery store to get the fixins for baked beans!
All those recipes sound excellent, but I can't use any sauces or sugars in the crockpot. The reason why I'm so concerned with keeping the rub is that bf was recently diagnosed with diabetes, so he won't be eating bbq sauce. That article seemed to imply that there is a certain amount of liquid in the crockpot.....I'm starting to lean toward a small amount of beer in the pot, but not enough to cover....
Will that work??

i would assume so, beer's good for everything,lol

I would be afraid that the ribs would fall apart before I got them on the grill if I slow cooked them. I have wrapped them completely in foil and put them on a low temperature in the oven for a few hours before I grill them. The foil keeps all the juices in and you could still pour a little beer over them before you wrapped them.

Last time I made ribs I cooked them on my wood smoker, but cooked them at 350 degrees the entire time. You can get a gas grill to get to that temperature. I soaked some oak wood chips in water and threw them in with the ribs to release smoke smell. Cooked them for 1 hour then wrapped them in foil. Cooked them another 2 hours wrapped. Unwrapped them, drizzled on sauce (I know you have a sugar issue here) and cooked them for another 20-30 minutes. They were perfect.

My friend is a diabetic and does use BBQ sauce with moderation. Can your bf adjust his intake the rest of the day (or modify his shot)?

Originally Posted by Momofmany

I would be afraid that the ribs would fall apart before I got them on the grill if I slow cooked them. I have wrapped them completely in foil and put them on a low temperature in the oven for a few hours before I grill them. The foil keeps all the juices in and you could still pour a little beer over them before you wrapped them.

Last time I made ribs I cooked them on my wood smoker, but cooked them at 350 degrees the entire time. You can get a gas grill to get to that temperature. I soaked some oak wood chips in water and threw them in with the ribs to release smoke smell. Cooked them for 1 hour then wrapped them in foil. Cooked them another 2 hours wrapped. Unwrapped them, drizzled on sauce (I know you have a sugar issue here) and cooked them for another 20-30 minutes. They were perfect.

My friend is a diabetic and does use BBQ sauce with moderation. Can your bf adjust his intake the rest of the day (or modify his shot)?

Click to expand...

He could, but he's not that into it anyway, so he'd rather just enjoy seasonings and skip the sauce.

I don't plan to slow cook in the crockpot all day, just a few (maybe 3) hours on low, then slow cook as well as possible on the grill. If I left them in for longer, they'd fall off the bone, but I don't think 3 hours would be long enough for that to happen. The problem is, our bbq is second hand and I don't think we could keep it as low as 350 for any decent length of time. Thanks for the foil idea....I'll probably wrap them in foil out of the slow cooker for an hour or so on the grill, then unwrap to crisp the outside up (and add sauce to mine) at the end.