If burgers and hot dogs make it a cookout, then grilled ribs make it a barbecue. Take your grilling to the next level with these smoky, crowd-pleasing rib recipes featuring fall-off-the-bone meat and flavorful rubs and sauces.
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RecipeHickory-Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Apricot-Bourbon BBQ Sauce
Tender baby backs get big flavor from a quartet of seasonings—a spice rub, a tangy mop that keeps the ribs moist on the grill, hickory wood smoke, and a sweet-tart glaze and dipping sauce. -
RecipeSweet Chili, Ginger, and Soy Baby Back Ribs
Asian flavors meet American technique in this East-West fusion rib. Never underestimate the number of racks you may end up cooking; these tasty morsels practically demand you to eat several in one sitting. -
RecipePeppercorn-Spiced Smoked Beef Ribs
The Sichuan peppercorns in this spice rub lend a delightful tingly sensation and are punchy enough to stand up to the smoke. -
RecipeSpanish Spareribs with Herb-Garlic Dipping Sauce
This popular Spanish dish is simple but wonderful. Serve the ribs as a hearty appetizer with plenty of napkins or as a main course with sautéed greens and chickpeas. -
RecipeGrilled Spareribs with Maple-Chipotle Glaze
Restraint and patience are the keys to grilling ribs properly. Make sure to cover the grill so that the ribs' flavor is enhanced with a healthy waft of smoke. -
RecipeSweet Chili and Root Beer Baby Back Ribs
A sticky, sweet, and spicy root beer glaze will make you go back for more again and again. -
RecipeGreek-Style Dry-Rubbed Lamb Ribs
Greek cuisine celebrates the delicious versatility of lamb. Gamey lamb ribs are the perfect canvas for the assertive oregano and fragrant garlic featured in the Mediterranean diet. -
RecipeFred's Finest Baby Back Ribs
No offense to those chicken folks but here's the real "finger lickin' good" meal. These ribs are mouth-happy perfection. -
RecipeHerb-Rubbed Pork Spareribs with Honey-Lemon Glaze
You'll grill these tasty ribs in foil so they cook quickly in their own juice, and all the flavor is trapped inside the foil. Finishing the ribs with a simple glaze gives them extra flavor and crisp edges. -
RecipeApple-Bacon Barbecued Ribs
The smoky-sweet-spicy flavor of this rub and sauce is a classic complement for pork ribs, the perfect celebratory meal for any barbecue. -
RecipeBarbecue-Braised Country Spareribs with Beer and Mustard Glaze
For this recipe, the German dark lager called bock beer is my top choice, but any dark lager works well. Serve with boiled new potatoes or potato salad. -
RecipeHoisin Barbecued Ribs
You'll get darker ribs with this Asian-inspired rub and sauce combo, but the taste is just right, not overpowering. -
RecipeJapanese-Style Barbecued Baby Back Ribs
This is a Japanese version of the grilling classic from the American South, which we promise will be just as bone-sucking good as the ribs you'll find in a Memphis pit barbecue. -
RecipeBeef Short Ribs in Ancho Molasses Sauce
The key to this recipe is to start the ribs in a pan; turning them in the melted tallow fat will crisp them up. Let them get well-done before you add the hot braising liquid. -
RecipeKansas City Style Barbecued Ribs
Kansas City's great barbecue tradition comes home in these slow-smoked spareribs doused in homemade BBQ sauce. -
RecipeMemphis-Style Ribs
Don't have a grill? Slow roasting in the oven yields a rib that's just as tender and succulent. Rub the ribs with a zesty spice blend, and you'll swear they came from a backyard BBQ pit. -
RecipeMargarita-Glazed Baby Back Ribs
Tequila and fresh citrus are a great combo in margaritas as well as pork ribs. The tequila's bite and the acidic orange and lime juices cut through the rich, fatty meat. In this recipe, the marinade is used for a glaze as well as a dipping sauce for the ribs. -
RecipeSmoked Lamb Ribs with Rosemary and Fig Barbecue Sauce
This recipe won Best Lamb Ribs and overall Grand Championship at the Meatopia Bare Bones BBQ Contest at the Eat Real Festival in Oakland, California, in 2012. The seasoning paste and sauce do nothing to mask the great flavor of lamb; they only help to enhance and celebrate this bold meat.
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RecipeGlazed Spice-Rubbed Spareribs
Every summer, my dad makes the most delicious barbecued ribs. His trick is to add some smoked paprika to the cumin and fennel in the spice rub to guarantee smoky results even when it’s too rainy to grill. These initially get cooked in the oven and then finished on the grill; if the weather isn’t cooperating, you can finish them under the broiler.
