# Not BBQ Ribs



## Andy M. (Sep 3, 2007)

As many of you know, I live in a condo complex and have only a gas grill. I love BBQ and make pulled pork and ribs on a regular basis using a combination of the oven and the grill.

I'm jealous of all the great smoking and BBQ you guys do and the pictures of the food makes me drool.

Today I made some baby backs. I started them with a rub and baked them in the oven at 250 F until almost done then finished them on the gass grill.

They lack the great smoke taste of BBQ'd ribs but weren't bad. Here's a picture.


----------



## Katie H (Sep 3, 2007)

Admirable job, Andy.  How'd they taste?  You really need to get yourself a Cameron's stovetop smoker.


----------



## Uncle Bob (Sep 3, 2007)

Bravo Andy!! They look great!

Remember Uncle Bob's rules for a successful BBQ...Relax! Have Fun & Enjoy!(Your friends and family)

If you did all of those, plus you got to eat some good food, Then your BBQ was a complete, and total success!! 

Bravo!!!


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 3, 2007)

Not bad, Katie.  They didn't have the great smoke flavor you'd expect but the rub and sauce gave it a good flavor.


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 3, 2007)

Thanks, Bob.  We did enjoy them.


----------



## Katie H (Sep 3, 2007)

Did your little grandson, Steven I believe, have a taste?  Isn't he old enough to venture into such things?


----------



## kitchenelf (Sep 3, 2007)

They look wonderful!  Even on your gas grill you can infuse smoke.  Just place your soaked wood chunks (not chips) in some foil and form into a ball.  Poke some holes all over the top and put down on your flame source.  Let those babies smoke away while they are on the other side of your heat source.  You might not even have to use your oven at all.  Occasionally rotate them so they evenly cook.  

Is that an option?  Even if they smoke for an hour and few or so you can finish in your oven and then crisp up again on the grill?

They still look wonderful - no matter what!


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 3, 2007)

Katie, Steven was not around today and he's a little too young to eat BBQ.  Maybe next year.

'elf, I've tried smoking on the gas grill and the problem is that I cannot keep the heat low enough.  With olny one burner on the lowest setting and the lid cracked open, the temp is still over 300 F.

Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions, ladies.


----------



## kitchenelf (Sep 3, 2007)

See my post about the electric smoker - I think it's a great idea!


----------



## kadesma (Sep 3, 2007)

_Andy,_
_those ribs look great..I like a little smoke flavor but not a lot so I'd have loved those emm_
_kadesma_


----------



## Billdolfski (Sep 4, 2007)

Andy M. said:


> Katie, Steven was not around today and he's a little too young to eat BBQ.  Maybe next year.
> 
> 'elf, I've tried smoking on the gas grill and the problem is that I cannot keep the heat low enough.  With olny one burner on the lowest setting and the lid cracked open, the temp is still over 300 F.
> 
> Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions, ladies.



I have had similar trouble keeping a low temp on a gas grill too.  Esp the one I own, it's ruthlessly hot at all times.


----------



## love2"Q" (Sep 8, 2007)

those look great ...
when i was making ribs with a oven/grill combo ..
i found a smoker box .. its a small cast iron box that you can put wood chips 
or pellets in and put on a gas grill .. really helped with the smokiness flavor 
i felt was missing ...


----------



## Renee Attili (Sep 8, 2007)

Check into a Smokin Tex electric smoker. I equate them to the "crock pot" of smokers. My boss will go home at lunch to let her dog out and she place 1-2 chickens in the smoker, sets the temp and then comes back to work. When she gets home a 6:30-7:00 her dinners ready and delicious!


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 8, 2007)

love2"Q" said:


> those look great ...
> when i was making ribs with a oven/grill combo ..
> i found a smoker box .. its a small cast iron box that you can put wood chips
> or pellets in and put on a gas grill .. really helped with the smokiness flavor
> i felt was missing ...


 

Thanks for the tip but I can't keep a low enough temperature in my grill to do this, even at the lowest setting on one burner.


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 8, 2007)

Renee Attili said:


> Check into a Smokin Tex electric smoker. I equate them to the "crock pot" of smokers. My boss will go home at lunch to let her dog out and she place 1-2 chickens in the smoker, sets the temp and then comes back to work. When she gets home a 6:30-7:00 her dinners ready and delicious!


 

Thanks, Renee, I'll check it out.


----------



## Barb L. (Sep 8, 2007)

They look super to me too and so yummy, thats is the way I have to do them, but they are good !


----------



## beerco (Sep 9, 2007)

Andy M. said:


> Thanks for the tip but I can't keep a low enough temperature in my grill to do this, even at the lowest setting on one burner.


 
Throw some wood chips in there anyway - before my gas grill started collecting dust I used to do the same (little steel wood chip box) and it worked fine.


----------



## Jeekinz (Sep 9, 2007)

Andy, the grill will do all of the cooking, but throwing a wood pouch or one of those smoker boxes will add smoke flavor....without bothering your neighbors.

Soak some chips in beer or water for 30-60 minutes, drain and place in a foil pouch or smoke box. Place on top of a burner (off to the side), when you start to see smoke, then add the meat.

Have some chips in reserve when the smoke diminishes.

Before I bought my smoker, I picked up one of those boxes from Lowes for like $7 and a bag of chips for $4.


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 9, 2007)

I like to cook my ribs at about 225-250F. My grill cannot maintain a temperature that low. With one burner on the lowest setting and the lid propped open a bit, the temp under the cover is over 300F. I realize I can cook ribs at that temperature but prefer not to.


----------



## Jeekinz (Sep 9, 2007)

You can cook them exactly how you did in the OP.

300 seems pretty high.  Have you double checked the guage?


----------



## letscook (Sep 9, 2007)

could add alittle liquid smoke to give a little outdoor taste


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 9, 2007)

Jeekinz said:


> You can cook them exactly how you did in the OP.
> 
> 300 seems pretty high. Have you double checked the guage?


 

Yup.  Actually it can run as high as 350-375 at times.


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 9, 2007)

letscook said:


> could add alittle liquid smoke to give a little outdoor taste


 

Yeah and there's some smoked paprika in the rub...


----------



## beerco (Sep 9, 2007)

Andy M. said:


> Yup. Actually it can run as high as 350-375 at times.


 
Even if it's this hot, you should still add the wood chips - you'll get the flavor you're looking for.


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 9, 2007)

How long would you think I'd need to smoke ribs to get decent flavor?  I don't want to dry them out.


----------



## BBQ'd Dude (Sep 10, 2007)

> How long would you think I'd need to smoke ribs to get decent flavor?  I don't want to dry them out.



I would say for around an hour. Really though anytime you can add some wood chips as described above is great. Just put them on while you have it on the grill.

Take care,

Brian


----------



## beerco (Sep 10, 2007)

Andy M. said:


> How long would you think I'd need to smoke ribs to get decent flavor? I don't want to dry them out.


 
Like BBQ dude said, an hour should be good.   What else you could do is put a large pan of cold water under the grates on your grill - that will help keep the temperature down for a while.


----------



## Jeekinz (Sep 10, 2007)

Andy M. said:


> How long would you think I'd need to smoke ribs to get decent flavor? I don't want to dry them out.


 
How long were the ribs on the grill for after the oven?

If you use a wood like mesquite, you could get away with 30 minutes.

Just remember to have the smoke started before the ribs go on.  Running those temps, I would look into a box rather than foil in fear of the foil melting on a burner.

The grill I just bought has one of those smoker trays with it's own burner that works on the same principal.  This will not smoke meat like a Chargriller, but adds wood flavor.


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 10, 2007)

Jeekinz said:


> How long were the ribs on the grill for after the oven?
> 
> If you use a wood like mesquite, you could get away with 30 minutes.
> 
> ...


 

They were on the grill less than 30 min. I just put them on to crisp them up and cook on some BBQ sauce. That's why the photo shows them shiny, I had just brushed on some sauce.


----------



## keltin (Sep 10, 2007)

Why not try indirect on your grill and add a large pot or pan of water. Put the ribs on one side with the burner turned off. On the other side, put the firebox with wood chips directly on the burner, then put the grate on, and then add a large pan of cold water; you can even put some ice in it. The water will be directly above your burner and will absorb most of the heat until it gets to the boiling point (212).  With a large pan, and some ice, you should be able to smoke on your grill for 30 minutes to an hour (add some more ice if needed) without the temp getting too high. Then, simply transfer the ribs to the oven to finish cooking low and slow, and you can then finish on the grill to set your sauce and develop a crust.

Upright water smokers work on the same principle as this. In mine, I can start a raging hot fire and immediately throw the meat on with the vents full open, and the temp stays below 220 for a good 30 minutes before it starts climbing. That’s because the water bowl is between the meat and the fire, and that water is absorbing most of the energy as it goes from cold to boiling.


----------



## Andy M. (Sep 10, 2007)

beerco and keltin, thanks for the suggestion.  I'll test it out.


----------

