Best Ribs I Ever Made... Ever!

My experiments with brine went so well with chicken and with pork chops that I wanted to try it with pork ribs.  I have made ribs in several different ways over the years, but many of those recipes have too many steps, and some of them didn't come out very well.

Brining ribs has turned out to be the most successful so far - they were juicy and flavorful and falling off the bone with only a few steps.

Boil 4 c water with 1c kosher salt.  Stir until salt dissolves, which is only a few minutes.

Add 1 tsp red pepper flakes.   (optional)

Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then add 3-4c apple juice.  Soak ribs in brine at least 6 hours.  You can make more or less brine, as long as you have enough to completely cover the meat.  I usually do this in a plastic container, but you can use a plastic bag also.

Remove ribs from brine, place on a piece of foil in grill with low/indirect heat for 2 hours, flipping only once.  It helps to spray the foil with cooking spray before putting it on the grill...


Baste with bbq sauce and roast for another 10-15 minutes.  Flip ribs, removing foil, and baste the other side with sauce too.  After 10 minutes or so, flip once more just to flame the last side a little bit and caramelize the bbq sauce.

That is really all there is to it: soak the meat, then grill.  No parboiling, no messy pans, no browning in oil, no fussing with tons of ingredients, and no need to heat up the oven.

There now, wasn't that easy?

Keep On Brining - Cider Pork Roast

Since the brine worked out so well on the chicken, I had to consider other meats to experiment on... mwah ha ha!



This is a pork shoulder with the fat rind still on.

Boil 2 c water with 1/2 c kosher salt and 1 tsp mustard seeds. Stir until salt is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Cool and add 4 c apple cider.

Soak meat with brine and black peppercorns in refrigerator at least 5 hours; overnight is best for thick cuts like this.  You will want to start the brining early because the roasting stage takes about 5 hours.

Remove from brine, transfer to foil sheet on grill.

Cook with fat side up on low heat (I only turned on the two burners at the far sides and left the two middle ones off so the heat would be indirect).  This takes about 3 hours before the temp is about 140F.

Flip roast over so fat side is down.  Spread top with a mixture of brown sugar, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Keep heat low for another 2 hours or so, until temp at bone is 160F.

Allow roast to rest on platter for 10 minutes, then hack off some slabs and enjoy!

Juicy Chicken in Brine

This is the easiest way to juicy grilled chicken!

Seriously, these come out awesome with very little effort.


In a saucepan over high heat, boil:

1 c. water
1/4c. kosher salt
1 tsp black peppercorns

Stir until salt dissolves, about 3 minutes.





Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.

Add 1c ice and 2c apple juice. Stir when ice is melted, or use cold water.

Brine should be room temp before adding to meat.



Arrange 2# boneless, skinless chicken thighs in zipper bag or plastic container.


Add sprigs of thyme or rosemary and a spoonful of crushed garlic. (optional)

Pour cooled brine over chicken and seal.

Refrigerate for 4-5 hours.  Remove from brine and shake excess off.

(if you want to brine overnight for convenience, rinse chicken after to remove some of the salt)


Grill on medium or bake at 450F for 20-30 minutes, until browned with an internal temp of 170F.  Be careful not to overcook!


If you don't want the finished result to taste very salty, rinse the chicken with water before cooking.  The salt is needed during the initial phase because it allows the flavors from the herbs and juice to permeate the meat.