Should i boil ribs first ? A common question asked by the un-initiated cook!. One of the secrets to cooking great ribs is to cook them very , very slowly .... but never boil them. Thats right don't even THINK about boiling your ribs if you want them to taste great. You see , when you boil ribs, the juices and fat come out of the meat , and into the water. This is the whole reasoning behind putting meat into soup as it cooks. Would you eat steak or burgers if they were boiled ? NO !. You would end up with a very fat free lean piece of meat , but it would also be completely tasteless and bland..... While all the nice flavour is wasted away in the water.

But we don't want the flavour in the water , we wan't it to remain in the meat. Now , competition cooks will tell you that the single best way to cook ribs is to cook them under a low heat for a long time , 225°F for about 6 hours!. Some people however don't have that kind of time to prepare a meal however, so i'll show you how to make mighty fine tasting ribs in about 3 hours.

First things first , the night before you are to eat your ribs , rub them in your favourite mix of spices , cover with cling film (or Saran Wrap) and place in the refridgerator overnight. A very good combo recommended to me by a bbq rib guru is: 1 tspn of garlic powder, 1 tspn onion powder , 1tspn of salt , 1 tspn cayenne pepper , 1 tspn black pepper, 1 tspn white pepper, 1 C of brown sugar and 1/2 C of paprika. Mix them all up together and rub them on the meat. Cut down on the cayenne if this rub is a little hot for you!

The day before cooking , take the ribs out about an hour before you begin. Pre-Heat your oven to 275ºF , or if you have more time , for a better tasting rib pre-heat to 250ºF , but cook for 4 hours instead of 3. Place a cake pan of hot water on the lowest rack of the oven , and near the end of cooking top the water up if needed. Stick the ribs in the oven , bone side down. They will not need turning for the duration of them cooking , as this allows the fat to drain through and out the meat , whilst leaving the flavour behind. Place them on a wire rack above the cake pan full of water so that the fat drippings will drop into the water.

Now the part which willl really set your ribs apart from the rest ! after about 1 and 1/2 hrs of cooking , baste the ribs with a mixture of around 3 parts apple juice and 1 parts oil. Remember to repeat this process every 1/2 hour until done. To check if they are done , check the bones and look out for the meat which will 'pull back' from the ends. You can also check by inserting a skewer, if it goes all the way through easily , they are done!

Last but not least , Always apply any sauce about 20 minutes before eating the ribs , this will stop the sugars from burning and turning black.. there is a lot of sugar in BBQ sauce so you dont want to apply it instantly and ruin the ribs. The next time anyone asks you if they should boil ribs first , tell them NO ! and send them here for a great recipe.