Barbecue Sans Barbecuing

In the last two weeks I have been getting a lot of emails regarding my rib recipe. The number one question is, “How do I do this in my apartment”. To get the real deal, there really isn’t a shortcut. However, I do have a great rib recipe for making ribs in the oven. Yes, barbecued ribs without a barbecue.

Besides being really tasty they are quite easy to make.  Plus, they only take about 3 hours to make.

• 1 Rack of ribs (baby back, St. Louis Style or spare ribs)
• 1/3 bottle of liquid smoke (per rack of ribs)
• 4 tbs garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 can of your favorite beer (I love Miller Lite – Go Milwaukee)

• Water

This recipe is for one rack of ribs.  You can scale it up quite easily.

First things first, rinse your ribs.  Once you have rinsed your ribs remove the silver skin.  This is one of those things that differ from pit master to pit master.  Some say leave it on others say remove it to add flavor.  Since we are making ours in the oven with liquid smoke, we need to remove it.  That way the seasonings will permeate the meat.  To remove the silver skin, use a knife at one end to get under the skin and peel away a flap.  Once you have enough to grab use brute force and peel it off.

Now place the rib(s) in a deep roasting pan.  You need to cover the ribs with liquid so make sure you have a deep pan.  Season the ribs with the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and liquid smoke.  Remember to leave some for the other side.   You can also use more liquid smoke if you prefer a really smokey flavor.  1/3 cup per rack gives a nice mild smokey flavor.

Now slowly add water to the edge of the pot.  You don’t want to wash away all of the seasoning.

While the pan is filling add the beer to the pan.

Make sure to fill with enough water to cover the ribs by about an inch.   Some of the water will evaporate.  If you don’t have a pan deep enough to fill over the top of the ribs, you will periodically have to add water throughout the cooking.

Place in a 350 degree oven for 2-2 1/2 hours.  The ribs are done when they almost tear when picked up by tongs from one end.  All of the bones will also be exposed by about a half an inch.

Once you have your ribs out of the oven, turn your oven to broil.  Move the top rack down so that it is about 8-10 inches from the top.  I know that 8-10 inches sounds like far for broiling, but it will perfectly carmelize the ribs without burning them.  Sauce the top side with your favorite barbecue sauce and place in the broiler for about 4 minutes.

After four minutes, flip them, sauce them and place them back under the broiler for four minutes.  Once that is done flip, sauce and broil one last time for four minutes.  Keep an eye on them.  My broiler may not be as hot as everyone elses.  I would definitely check on them after 3 mins.

Using a sharp knife cut the ribs at the bones and serve.  They are delicious and easy to make.

Most barbecue experts would make fun of me for this recipe, but they haven’t tried them.  They are delicious and require no grill at all.

If you want you can carmelize the ribs on a grill if you have one.  That adds yet another level of flavor, but it is not necessary.  The liquid smoke does a great job.

I know this is not real bbq, but people have been asking me how to make awesome ribs at home when you do not have a grill or smoker.  This mimics the flavor without a grill.