As the summer months have slowly crept up to us, so has barbecue season. Recently, it’s become increasingly popular to have a barbecue at home, and there’s nothing like a good barbecue ribs recipe to really get your tastebuds excited.

Barbecue recipes are known for extraordinary flavours that you wouldn’t get from cooking in an oven, with infused smokey tones and rich textures helping to create dishes that are second to none. 

Cooking at home doesn’t have to be mundane, with pork ribs for BBQ’s the perfect example of an exciting dish that can be whipped up in your garden. Our team at Tom Hixson of Smithfield has put together this BBQ pork ribs recipe to help you get started.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT RIBS

Each rack of pork ribs differs from the rest, with each rack offering its own unique flavours and textures. Tom Hixson of Smithfield provides an extensive range of pork ribs within the pork range, with the most common types of ribs including:

Baby back ribs - Smaller and meatier than other types of ribs and usually easier to grill due to their size

Spare ribs - Larger, usually more tender as they’re taken from the belly side of the rib cage where there is more connective tissue

St. Louis style ribs - A firm favourite across America, these ribs are spareribs with the rib tips removed. They’re slightly more difficult to cook than other ribs, but offer exceptional flavour once mastered

In this BBQ pork ribs recipe, we’ll be using baby back ribs as they are some of the simplest ribs to cook with. We’ll be demonstrating how to create your own marinade sauce and rub, however, different marinades and rubs can be used to suit your own tastes. 

Some prefer to only use a marinade, some prefer to only use a rub and some prefer to use none at all! Pork ribs are a very flavoursome cut as it is, and adding marinades and rubs are down to personal preference.