This is a sponsored post on behalf of Ohio Hog Farmers.
Ribs are one of the most delicious meat options for families because they can be made in many different ways. As our family has explored more and more cuts of pork, we’ve realized that ribs are the biggest family favorite, and always fits within our budget. Over the past month, my husband and I have ventured into learning how to make ribs, and what different ways work with our busy family schedule. Below, we’re going to share how to make ribs in our 3 favorite ways.
Slow Cooker Ribs
We always hear that cooking ribs “low and slow” is one of the best ways to make them. Enter the slow cooker. The best thing about using your slow cooker to make ribs is that you’re able to remove yourself from the equation as much as possible. You set it, forget it, then remember once the ribs start to send off their heavenly aroma. Here are a few of our favorite tips for making ribs in the slow cooker:
- Use an acid in the sauce. You want the meat to tenderize while it cooks, so adding your favorite vinegar to the sauce or marinade will ensure the juiciness. One of our favorite liquids that tenderizes meat is actually pineapple juice. It’s a great flavor that the kids won’t turn their nose up at, and it’s readily available. We love this Slow Cooker Hawaiian-style ribs recipe because of the use of pineapple juice.
- Keep it simple. If your slow cooker ribs recipe including 15 different ingredients, that’s the opposite of easy. Keep your ingredients around 5 to 7, including the ribs.
- Spare ribs are king. OK, this is just our opinions, but we have loved the result we get from using spare ribs in the slow cooker. They are the right meat to bone ratio for our family, and it seems like many families love a great pork spare rib in the slow cooker.
Want to see how easy it is to make ribs in the slow cooker? Check out this live video:
Make Ribs In the Oven
Fun fact: I was intimated to make ribs in the oven. I thought they would dry out, or I wouldn’t package them the right way, or that I needed to cover them with vegetables, sauces, or something else to make sure they tasted delicious. After doing some research, I realized I was being very silly. Making ribs in the oven can be almost as easy as making them in the slow cooker. Here are some of the tips we learned while experimenting with baking our spare ribs:
- Foil is your friend. Ribs made in the oven are able to stay moist and delicious as long as you have them well covered. Place foil on the bottom of a shallow pan, top with your racks of ribs and any seasoning or sauce you want, then wrap it tight with foil. That foil is going to ensure a mouth-watering rib once they are done.
- Low and slow, yet again. Shocker: when cooking ribs in the oven, you want to cook them low an slow. 290 to 300 degrees, for at least an hour and a half. One our favorite recipe for ribs in the oven takes around 190 minutes. I KNOW. But, if you’re a busy family, just make sure you place the ribs in the oven as soon as you get home, and let them cook while you tackle homework and chores.
- The broiler is your friend. One thing that is missing from a slow cooker rib is the sticky, crispy, magical bite you get when they are made on the grill or in the oven. To ensure you get this with your oven-baked ribs, remove the foil for the last half an hour, and then place them under the broiler for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Related: Bacon Wrapped Baby Back Ribs – This Worthey Life
How To Make Ribs On The Grill
This might be my favorite way to make ribs because I don’t have to do any of it! My husband is the grill master around here, so I asked him to research making ribs on the grill, and share his best tips with you:
- It’s all about heat management. Never forget to light your charcoal or gas grill/smoker and allow the entire grill to come up to temperature before putting the ribs in.
- The only time you should open your grill/smoker is to spray the ribs.
- If you sauce your ribs, sauce them at the end. Cook the sauce on the stove and once the ribs have come off the grill or out of the smoker, apply the sauce to the ribs. This will allow your sauce to thicken up a bit more and absorb some of the heat from the ribs.
- Let your ribs sit for 20 minutes before cutting them.
Whether you try one or all 3 of these ways, we hope these tips help you rock your next experience with ribs. If you have any questions, or your own tips to share, please share them below.
