How to grill ribs tender and tasty pork ribs

I didn’t know how to grill ribs until I was well into my late thirties! My husband always did the grilling.

I hated the whole process. Lighting the charcoal, waiting for the coals to “be ready,” standing at the grill. Worst of all I hated having my hair smell like smoke!

Then he went and took a job as a contractor overseas for “just one year.” Since he’s a rockstar at his job that year turned into four.

Even so, I resisted the grill for the first couple of years he was gone. Grilling was one of the “special things” we only did when Daddy was home.

Then the kids got older.

They wanted to swim and hated getting out of the pool so I could go inside to cook dinner. The barbecue grill stood unused.

I finally relented and fired it up one day.

The chicken I grilled was terrible. From that day on I started grilling regularly so I would get better. It just wasn’t right that my husband could grill so well that it looked easy yet can barely boil eggs. (Shhh, he doesn’t read every post so let’s just keep this between you and me.)

I finally got it, though. My chicken, hamburgers, and hotdog skills are amazing. My bacon wrapped asparagus are drool worthy. Steak skills are pretty good. But I totally sucked at ribs–until I called my mom. 

My mom makes some tasty ribs. Now I do too! It was so easy! (Even my husband said my ribs were the best he’s ever had!)

]This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HogWildThrowdown #CollectiveBias

How to grill ribs even if you think it’s too hard! 

First, I went to Walmart to grab some Smithfield Extra Tender Back Ribs.

They were surprisingly easy to find.

Then I brought them home and prepared a marinade for them.

Earn money when you are shopping for groceries! I use the Ibotta app all the time. Before heading to Amazon, make sure you open the Ibotta app and click the correct category. You’ll earn a percentage back on items you were already planning to buy.

Marinade ingredients for my grilled pork ribs recipe:

• Goya Mojo Marinade Marinade 24 oz bottle
• lemon-lime soda or sparkling water (like Sprite)
• one yellow or sweet onion
• 4-6 cloves of minced garlic (I use this manual pull chopper to make this task super easy — it’s fun to use too!) 
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Remove the membrane from the rack of ribs. For some reason, the Smithfield brand baby back ribs have membranes that are much easier to remove than other brands. I make a shallow cut with filet knife. Stick my finger under it and then manual remove the membranes. 

Cut rack in half if needed to fit in a gallon sized zip-top plastic bag. Salt and pepper the ribs and place in bag.

Pour entire bottle of Mojo Criollo in the bag. Slice the onions and throw them in the bag with the garlic. Pour half of the 2 liter of soda into the bag. Remove as much of the air from the bag as you can, close it, and refrigerate. Marinate the ribs for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 325º

Line a shallow baking pan with foil.

Arrange marinated ribs on the pan with back side down with onions on top. Cover with foil.

Roast in oven approximately 2 hours.

While ribs are in the oven, prepare the charcoal in the grill.

You want to get your coals to around 300°. I just got this wireless thermometer that I love! 

When the temperature is correct, move the ribs away from the coals and cover.

After about 15 minutes brush on your KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce.

Cover grill and cook until meat is 195°.

For more grilling tips and tricks check out this handy grill times and temperatures infographic!

The only complaint my daughter had was with the mess. She hates getting sauce on her face or hands. Luckily, I had a solution for that already planned.

Homemade Picnic Hand and Face Wipes

Materials:

• High-quality paper towel roll (Cut in half)
• Airtight Glass Canister
• 1 TBL Fractionated Coconut Oil 
• 1 TBL Baby Wash — buy it here
• 10 drops Lemon Essential Oil — buy it here 
• 5 drops Tea Tree Oil — buy it here
• 1 cup distilled water

Mix the oils and baby wash in the water. Pour over the paper towel roll in the canister. Let soak.

Mess issue solved!

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These ribs were delicious! The Smithfield Extra Tender Back Ribs are meaty and juicy.  They have no added hormones or steroids and are easy to grill. And you can get this high-quality meat at Walmart!

More recipes to try grilling:

Barbecue Recipes 

Coca-Cola Chicken

30 Grilled Chicken Recipes