BBQ Ribs on a Charcoal Grill

Classic BBQ ribs cooked low and slow on a standard charcoal kettle grill. No smoker required: just indirect heat, hickory smoke, and patience. Perfect for beginners who want real BBQ ribs without specialized equipment.

📝 Ingredients

• A rack of ribs (more if you have a rib rack)
• BBQ rub (your favorite)
• BBQ sauce (optional)
• A bag of charcoal
• Wood chunks of your choice (hickory recommended)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Prepare your ribs by removing the membrane on the inner side of the rack of ribs. You can trim them up Kansas City or St. Louis style if you wish.... or you can do like I did and just take off the flap of meat on the membrane-side of the rack.
2. 2Coat your ribs with a generous amount of your favorite BBQ rub on all sides. Steps 1 and 2 can be done a day ahead of time. Be sure to refrigerate your meat and make sure that it is stored in such a way that it doesn't come into contact with any other food.
3. 3Remove the top grate from your grill. Light one charcoal chimney starter full of coals. After the coals have ashed over, pour them onto one side of the grill. It is very important to have them all the way to one side of the grill. It is also important to be extremely careful here because those coals are very hot.
4. 4Add a couple of chunks of hickory over the coals, replace the top grate, cover your grill and close the vents. Wait about 15 minutes.
5. 5Add your ribs to the top grate of your grill opposite the hot coals. Cover the grill and wait four to five hours depending on your heat. Try to keep your grill temperature between 325 and 350 degrees. It's o.k. if you run a little hot, just check on your ribs periodically and make sure that they aren't getting too toasty. If you are running a little cool, open up the vents a little and let some air in.
6. 6Pop open a cold one and put your feet up.
7. 7You may wish to glaze your ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce about a half an hour before removing them from the grill.
8. 8Remove your ribs from your grill and let them rest for 10 to 15 minutes. A sheet pan works really good for this. Cut up the rack of ribs, serve and enjoy.