16 Ribs Recipes That Will Transform Your Summer Barbecues (2024)

FAQs

How many racks of ribs do I need for 16 people? ›

If you're only cooking (or smoking) ribs, plan to have a half of a rack per person, unless you're serving it with other items, such as burgers and hotdogs.

The secret to incredibly tender ribs is baking them low and slow. Baking ribs in the oven is so easy. 95% of the cooking time is spent relaxing while your ribs transform into fall-off-the-bone perfection.

Essentially, 3 2 1 ribs go like this: 3 hours of smoking the ribs directly on the pellet grill. 2 hours wrapped in foil, still cooking on the grill. 1 hour of cooking, unwrapped and slathered in barbecue sauce.

Rather than going by the pound, consider the number of actual ribs. With other tasty dishes in the works, it's safe to serve around five or six ribs per person.

Here are the basics when it comes to a rack of pork ribs: A complete rack of ribs typically weighs about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds and consists of 10 to 13 ribs measuring about 3 to 6 inches long each. A half rack, on the other hand, weighs anywhere between 12 to 16 ounces and has about 5 to 6 ribs on the rack.

Dry rubs are great on their own but can be spectacular when finished with a sauce in the case of ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. Wet rubs are fantastic when you are cooking low and slow – again, brisket and pulled pork. This allows your food to develop a unique bark and allows the sugars to caramelize instead of burn.

Essentially, the vinegar solution "cleanses" the meat and makes the flavors shine through without any "gamey" flavor.

While washing meat and poultry to remove dirt, slime, fat or blood may have been appropriate decades ago when many slaughtered and prepared their own food, the modern food safety system doesn't require it. Meat and poultry are cleaned during processing, so further washing is not necessary.

Wrapping your ribs are key if you want to lock in all of the moisture and flavor! Double wrap each rack of ribs securely and enjoy some ribs in no time.

Should I bake ribs meat side up or down? ›

Place ribs, meat side down, in baking dishes. Cover the baking dishes with aluminum foil and place in the oven. If you are using small baby back ribs, take out after 3.5 hours. If you are using regular baby back or St. Louis style ribs, then take out after 4 hours.

A rack of back ribs will take between 1 1/2 -2 hours to cook (with lid closed), and you should flip them approximately every 20 minutes. Baste with BBQ sauce each time you flip. To check for doneness and tenderness, insert a sharp-knife between two ribs, it should insert without any resistance.

I wouldn't calculate it by the pound. I would calculate it by estimating that for every adult it would take an average of half a rack to provide a full meal. So for 20 adults, I would recommend 10 racks of ribs. Some people may want more, some may want less, but I think that's a fair estimate.

2-3 people can share a pound of brisket. Depending on everyone's appetite, you can stretch to 4 people eating off off one pound. 1 pound of rib tips: Typically, five to six ribs per pound, or about three to four ribs per plate.

4 - 5 ribs per person when serving pork spare ribs. 2 - 3 ribs per person when cooking beef back ribs.

So for 20 adults, I would recommend 10 racks of ribs. Some people may want more, some may want less, but I think that's a fair estimate. You might want to prepare 12 racks, just to be on the safe side.

Underside of a rack of baby back ribs. Each baby back rib rack averages 10 to 13 curved ribs that are 3 to 6 inches long and weigh about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, which feeds about 2 people.

I would highly recommend a pound per person of beef or pork spare ribs. Baby back or St Louis cut you can probably get away with 12 ounces. That being said six to seven racks should do.

Babybacks come from the loin area of pork and are less meaty than spare ribs. Expect a rack of baby back ribs to contain 10 to 13 ribs, enough to feed 1-2 people.