An Expert's Advice On Making Succulent Barbecued Ribs On A Gas Grill

If you've tried oven-baked barbecue ribs, then you'll love them just as much (if not more) by heating them up on a gas grill. Isn't cooking some mouthwatering barbecue half the reason for owning a grill anyway? Grilling can be tricky for those new to the practice because there's nothing more defeating than fumbling an hours-long recipe. To save you from sad, dry ribs, Chowhound consulted celebrity chef and grill master Robbie Shoults.

You may have seen him as a judge on "Beat Bobby Flay," donning his signature cowboy hat. He's the third-generation owner of Bear Creek Smokehouse in Marshall, Texas, home to his other restaurant, High Horse 1898, at the Shoults family-owned Marshall Mercantile. When it comes to firing up the best barbecue ribs, he follows the wisdom of going low and slow by placing the rack of ribs on indirect heat.

"Only light one side of your gas grill and place the ribs on the opposite end so they won't get too hot, overcook, or dry out," Shoults advises. Ribs are notorious for their juicy, fall-off-the-bone quality, and going fast and aggressive with the heat source will evaporate the moisture.

The best cooking method for ribs will allow the meat to cook in its own juices. Many experts approve the 3-2-1 method, which aligns with Robbie Shoults' advice on keeping the grill on a lower heat setting, and adjusting things as you go. While he recommends wrapping the ribs in tin foil, the 3-2-1 technique suggests putting the foil on about three hours in, and letting the ribs cook in the foil for another two hours, where you'll flip the rack on its opposite side. For these first five hours, the only thing that should be on your ribs is the dry rub, and Bear Rubz offers four savory spice blends to choose from.

"If you were going to baste with a barbecue sauce, be sure and do it during the last 30 minutes, so that the sugars in the sauce won't burn," Shoults says. Your ribs aren't waiting around to die, so don't throw the sauce to the fire. Amongst the variety of barbecue sauces across the U.S., Kansas City and Texas-style barbecue sauce tends to be thick, sweet, and spicy, and most supermarket sauces fit that bill. Eastern Carolina and Virginia-style sauces are more thin and vinegary, so you might put them on your ribs earlier. The higher the sugar content, the less time it needs to cook. Take a look and a smell every so often to make sure the sugar isn't burning, so you can nail those succulent, gas-grilled ribs.