The wife said I have to wait til my birthday to get a smoker. I want to cook ribs and only have a gas grill. Is there a way to slow cook them and have them taste good on gas?
I don't know how many burners your gas grill has, but mine has 4, so here is a technique for mine that you can adjust accordingly. Put on the two left burners on low with a dish(metal pan perhaps) of water soaked wood chips above it.... on the right side of the grill place your prepared ribs..
- I would do the same thing...except I would keep the chips dry and put them on before you put on the ribs. it will take the chips a while to start smoking...maybe this is why the previous poster said to soak? I did a brisket a few weeks back. My only mistake was that my chips did not smoke for the first two hours. I only got about four hours of smoke. The brisket came out great. Next time I'll get six hours of smoke on them!
Just wait to get a smoker. Do the easy gas method, which is sear the ribs on the grill, then finish in the oven. I don't like using wood chips in my gas grill because you use so much propane. And tell your wife that her decision is a divorceable offense in Texas.
BC&H, There is an easy way around your predicament: 1. Go to smoker store and pick out smoker. 2. Go to ATM and pulse out money for smoker. 3. Go home, let wife know you pulsed cash, say it is for a surprise for her. 4. Stash cash where she can't find it. 5. Go into hysterics and claim you have lost the cash, search house and car for two to three hours. 6. Apologize profusely. 7. 2-3 days later, come home with new smoker. Swear on a stack of bibles (God will understand, it is a smoker after all) that someone was getting rid of it and you picked it up off of the curb. Problem solved. Chief
You can get wood chips and make some smoke pouches with aluminum foil (the small wood of different kinds they sell at Academy work well). Take a handful or two of dry chips and a handful of soaked chips and place them on a flat piece of foil. Wrap up the foil so you have a rectangular foil pouch and the poke holes all over the top with a fork. Put pouch directly over fire side of grill and you'll get smoke. Grill ribs indirect while changeing pouches every hour or so. This obviously isn't as good as the normal form of smoking, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
I wouldn't bother with trying to make smoke. It won't make much difference and it's a lot of hassle on the grill. Just do some baby back ribs, which don't need quite as much slow-and-low temp as the spare ribs to. They're easy, and much faster. Experiment with your rubs (and sauces if you dare -- just don't mention it here). They'll be plenty yummy.
I did it this week-- works fine mustard, then rub on lemon pepper, texjoy and tony's I put the 2 racks on the left and heat on low on the right with soaked wood chips on top of flame cover-- I put them on there to sizzle and smoke-- I add chips every 30 minutes or so. 4 hrs at 275-- came out great-- pulled clean off the bone--moist and smokey. I love a smoker and have one at the farm /deer lease but gas keeps them temp stable PS- my grandfather who was a 4th generation Texan used gas after he retired from his 30 yr barbecue business he owned in the Heights-- he commented- spend more time watching the Astros and not a fire
