Ribs for Wife

I have this same dilemma with my old lady! I'll be interested in seeing the response. I think you're on the right track with coating and then basting every hour or so.

For the No Rub Ribs just salt, pepper, maybe some garlic and continue with the 3-2-1 as usual. Sauce the ribs during the last hour when they are opened back up. If you sauce too early the sugars will have a tendancy to burn.

Take pics and let us know how she likes em.

Naked or Rubbed, makes no difference with the 3-2-1 method. The first couple of times I tried it I didn't have a clue about rubs, but the family did have a sauce we liked, so they got a coating during the last hour. The only variable I've got with the method is I do that last hour (really more like 45 mins) on my gas grill at a relatively low temp (250). I'll fire up just one end burner, bring the grill to temp, and place the racks of ribs away from the heat. Everything gets a coating of sauce, 20 or so minutes later a flip and another coat of sauce. I'll wait another 20 minutes or until the sauce has gotten mostly dry, remove and start the feast!

My biggest reason for going to the grill for the last step is I have better access to brush the sause on the ribs. No reason it can't be done in the smoker, I just have a hard time getting between the relatively narrow spacing of the smoker shelfs.

The 3-2-1 method is kind of like the "Pirate Code" - they be more like guidelines than actual rules! Best of luck. Let us know how they turn out!

Growing up in Chicago, I always liked Carson's Ribs. They do not use a rub. After a got my smoker a few years ago I ran across their recipe and have enjoyed it ever since. Altho the recipe shows a kettle grill, it works fantastic in my GOSM. This isn't for everybody of course, but it is what I grew up with. Here is a link to the recipe.

http://www.ribs.com/foodnetwork

My wife usually makes the sauce and I have also used Dave's BBQ sauce with success. I know some of you say the sauce will burn as you dip the whole slab in before even starting. It doesn't. The tips of the bones get a lttle dark, but the rest just a nice even reddish bark.

Now having said that, this weekend I plan on doing a dry rub just to see what everyone talks about. I was just getting tips when I ran across this thread. But for a no dry rub rib recipe, you can't beat this method. 3 racks of baby backs usually are done in 3 to 4 hours. We are not fond of the fall off the bone ribs and this does it just right.

excellent advice!

Someone needs to get his wife on the ball!

sounds like divorce time!!!