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How To Smoke Ribs On A Charcoal Grill With Wood Chips

How To Smoke Ribs On A Charcoal Grill With Wood Chips

Mastering the Art of Smoking Ribs on a Charcoal Grill with Wood Chips: Have you ever believed that you needed an expensive, high-end smoker to get that tender, moist meat that’s only possible through a long, slow smoking process? It might seem like a complex and lengthy endeavor. However, it’s time to embrace the reality that it’s entirely possible to smoke delicious ribs using wood chips on a charcoal grill.

Beef Ribs

Boneless beef ribs are much different from regular beef ribs. They are made of various cuts, and the bone is remove before cooking. These boneless beef ribs can be cooked in multiple ways, and it’s essential to know how long they need to cook to reach your desired level of doneness.

Boneless beef ribs can be cook using different methods: grilling, baking, or braising. Each method has its own set of guidelines for how long to grill boneless beef ribs. Take a look at some of the most popular options below:

1) Grilled Boneless Beef Ribs: Cooking for 10-12 minutes on each side over medium heat with indirect heat vents closed

2) Baked Boneless Beef Ribs: Cooking for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit with direct heat facing the racks and indirect heat vents open

3) Braised Boneless Beef Ribs: Cooking for 40-50 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit

How To Grill Boneless Beef Ribs

Boneless beef ribs are similar to a rack of baby back ribs. The difference is that the bone is removed from the beef rib, and it cooks more quickly than a rack of ribs. Here’s the recommended way to grill boneless beef ribs:

Preheat the oven or outdoor grill at 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Insert aluminum foil into shallow pan and place in preheated oven or on the grill.

Dry off the meat with paper towels and place it onto an aluminum foil-lined pan.

Season with salt and pepper, then cover tightly with foil for about 45 minutes or until cooked through.

Wood Chips To Smoke Ribs On A Charcoal Grill

After you determine the type of charcoal grill you want to use, you can start thinking about how you want to enhance the smoky flavor of your food. Wood chips are the perfect solution for this.

Wood chips are short, seasoned pieces of hardwood. To add a smoky taste to your barrel barbecue, eclectic barbecue, or kettle grill, use a wooden chip box. It is possible to start a barrel smoker or kettle grill with a pile of hot charcoal and a layer of wood chips on top. The smoke produced by charcoal burning wood chips is pleasant and clean.

Making Smoke From Wood Chips

Wood chips will be needed in addition to your normal grilling tools. The wood pieces will release the smoke we are looking for. If you use hickory, oak, apple, cherry, or mesquite chips, the meat will have a slightly distinct flavor and scent. You may play around with different types of chips to discover which flavor your family loves.

Soaking the chips in a liquid for an hour or longer will cause them to smoke rather than burn completely. Soak them in water, beer, wine, or apple cider if you want to add more flavor to your smoke.

Smoking Ribs On A Charcoal Grill

By using indirect heat, you can turn your charcoal grill into a smoker. To ensure that your hot coals are not directly beneath the meat you’re smoking, arrange them on either side of the grill.

Using a disposable aluminum pan, place coals on either side of where the meat would be placed in the center of the bottom grate. This pan doubles as a drip pan during cooking.

Check out how to cook ribs on a charcoal grill by trying these delicious smoked spare ribs.

Ingredients To Smoke Ribs On A Charcoal Grill

3 lb pork spare ribs 

1 cup apple cider

1 cup water

¼ cup lemon juice

⅓ cups Rib Rub

4 cups wood chips

1 ⅓ cups apple cider, divided

⅔ cups water

Instructions To Smoke Ribs On A Charcoal Grill

Step 1. Use a big shallow dish to place your meat, such as a shallow roasting pan or a large cookie sheet with a high rim. 

Step 2. Add 1 cup cider, 1 cup water, and ¼ cup lemon juice to the meat. 

Step 3. Coat the ribs with the mixture. 

Step 4. Store in the fridge for two to six hours.

Step 5. Using paper towels, the blot dries the ribs.

Step 6. On both sides of the ribs, apply ⅓ cup of rub with your hands and leave it for 1-2 hours.

Step 7. Add the wood chips to a bowl and cover with ⅓ cup of apple cider and ⅔ cup of water. Let the wood chips soak for almost 60 minutes and dry the wood chips before using them.

Step 8. Set up your grill for indirect cooking about 30 minutes before you want to start cooking. Use a disposable aluminum pan to hold coals on either side if necessary.

Step 9. Set the temperature of the grill to 200-250°F. You should be able to hold your hand 4 inches away from the grill grate for 10 seconds.

Step 10. Prepare the coals by throwing 1 ½ cups of soaked and drained wood chips on them. Place the ribs over the drip pan in the middle of the hot cooking grate. 

Step 11. Grill for 3-4 hours under a cover. Check your grill every 30 to 60 minutes. 

Step 12. Stack 4 to 5 coals and ½ cup of soaked, drained wood chips on each side. 

Step 13. Spray about a cup of apple cider on your meat using a clean spray bottle. 

Step 14. Keep the grill at medium-low heat by checking its temperature and adjusting the vents.

This can vary depending on how much fat is on your meat. For example, if you have more fat on your ribs than the recommended amount, you should cook them at a lower temperature. If you have less fat, cook them at a higher temperature to sear and brown the surface of your meat. You can also make sure that you’re using an oven mitt when reaching for these ribs. This will prevent them from burning under your hand and prevent any unwanted flare-ups.

Conclusion

The smoky flavor doesn’t have to compromise on charcoal flavor. Smoking with both charcoal and wood will give you the best results. Indirectly cook over a charcoal grill with wood chips as a flavoring agent. Any grill can be turned into a smoker in no time. Start with a few pieces of wood and add more as needed.


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