BBQ Baby Back Ribs On The Grill are rubbed with delicious spices and basted in your favorite barbeque sauce and a secret tip for ribs that are fall off the bone tender!
Bite into another tender, flavorful rib recipe with my Braised Beef Short Ribs or Crock Pot Ribs!
BBQ Baby Back Ribs On The Grill are loaded with the best smoky, sweet BBQ flavor that we all crave when Summer hits! This recipe pre-cooks the barbecue ribs in the oven before grilling them to a caramelized, tasty perfection, that no one can resist!
Never heard of sweet paprika? Let’s fix that! This is the kind I use and it is incredibly flavorful and also the key ingredient in my Hungarian Goulash recipe!
Scroll right on by the pre-packaged store-bought BBQ ribs at the grocery store and head straight to grabbing a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, lager beer, and a rack of baby back ribs. Then head home to fire up the grill!
Normally I’d suggest inviting your neighbors or friends over to eat, but after one bite of this tender, fall off the bone meat you’re not going to want to share this meal!
Ingredient Notes
Starting in the oven, the BBQ ribs get covered in a homemade dry rub made of sweet paprika, dark brown sugar, black pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
Then it’s time for my #1 secret for super tender ribs that fall off the bone: BEER! You’ll pour in the bottom of the pan while the ribs bake in the oven to add steam. This tenderizes the meat and makes them incredibly juicy while also adding flavor.
For cooking ribs I like to use darker, maltier beers since they lend a bit of sweetness when cooking. I chose to use a lager beer but you could also choose a porter or brown ale beer.
Then you just need a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce for basting the ribs as they finish cooking on the grill! For this recipe, I used Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce but it’d be tasty to experiment with other BBQ sauces!
How To Make Grilled BBQ Ribs
- Line a large sheet tray with aluminum foil and set it aside.
- Rinse the ribs well and then use paper towels to pat them dry before setting it on the lined sheet.
- Remove the membrane from the underside of the bones using a pairing knife.
- Mix together the sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne. Then rub it all over the top and bottom of the ribs.
- Cover the ribs with another piece of foil on top. Crimp the two pieces of foil together to create a package.
- Place the ribs in the oven and pour 1/2 the beer directly onto the sheet tray. Bake them for an hour and then pour the remaining beer onto the sheet pan and continue cooking.
- Grill the ribs meat side up on very high heat.
- Baste both sides of the ribs with BBQ sauce throughout grilling. Allow each side to carmelize before pulling them off the grill.
- Cut the rack of ribs into individual ribs and serve!
How To Store BBQ Baby Back Ribs
You can store any leftover cooked ribs in an air tight container and eat them within 3 to 4 days.
Do I Have To Make These Ribs With Beer?
Not at all! You can swap the beer out for plain water, apple juice, root beer, or lemon-lime soda.
How Many People Will One Rack Of Ribs Serve?
Depending on the size of the servings, a rack should feed 4 people!
Can I Make These On A Charcoal Grill?
Definitely, you can cook these on any grill! Charcoal, pellet, as well as a gas grill will all get the job done.
Using a charcoal grill will even give you the opportunity to mix in some flavored wood chips with the charcoal. That would really enhance the taste of these ribs!
What’s a rack of ribs without a few tasty sides to enjoy with it? Check out some of my popular side dishes that I think would pair deliciously with these smoky Grilled BBQ Ribs!
- Roasted Vegetables – Fresh produce tossed in a homemade herb-infused dressing and then roasted to perfection!
- Homemade French Fries (Double Fried) – Crispy, beautifully golden brown french fries that have the best crunch!
- Classic Macaroni Salad – Tender elbow macaroni, veggies, and seasonings coated in a creamy dressing for a tasty side dish!
- Roasted Delicata Squash – Small, easy to cook squash that’s sweet and tender!
- Best Mashed Potatoes – Creamy mashed potatoes loaded with butter, milk, and cream!
- Corn Ribs – A double dose of delicious ribs will have you family raving about dinner!
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Grilled BBQ Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back ribs
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste, optional
- 12 ounces lager beer
- 1-2 cups bbq sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line a large sheet tray with foil, set aside.
- Rinse the ribs well making sure there are no bone shards. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Place it on the sheet tray with the foil. If desired, remove the membrane from the underside of the bones by using a pairing knife to gently pry the membrane up so you can get ahold of it. Using a paper towel then grab the membrane and pull it off.
- In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne. Rub the ribs all over, top and bottom with the rub. Place another piece of foil on top, crimp the edges of the two pieces of foil all around the ribs so it forms a package.
- Place the ribs in the oven and pour ½ of the beer directly onto the sheet tray. Bake for an hour and a half and add the other half of the beer onto the sheet tray. Depending on how tender you want your ribs, start checking them at the 3 hour total mark. A fork should easily pierce the meat of the ribs. You do not want them to totally fall off the bone though because they will fall apart on the grill.
- Heat your grill on high and let it get very hot. Place the ribs meat side up onto the grill. Baste with the bbq sauce. Flip them over and let them char and caramelized. Base the other side with bbq sauce. You do not want to leave them on too long, 20 minutes max because they may dry out.
- Once the one side is caramelized and lightly charred turn it over again and let the bottom caramelize and char.
- Cut the slab into individual ribs and serve, or serve as is!
Notes
- Use your favorite bbq sauce or homemade. I used Sweet Baby Ray’s in these photos.
- You do not have to use a beer, you can use plain water, apple juice, root beer, or lemon-lime soda.
They are very delicate so be careful while turning the ribs on the grill. - Removing the membrane tends to make the ribs more tender. Either way, they are still amazing.
- The caramelized outside and char from the grill really set these ribs apart. You can also baste the ribs in bbq sauce once done baking and broil them until caramelized and charred. But, you will not get that smoky taste from the grill.
Nutrition
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