“Rib Wings” – A New And Delicious Way To Make BBQ Pork Ribs

If you were ever to apply the word “Lazy” to a barbecue ribs recipe, my “Rib Wings” would be it. They’re packed with 360 degrees of smokey, sweet, porky flavor, which is exactly what you want when you’re cooking ribs. They’re also faster and easier to make than the traditional “3-2-1” method. 

They are the best pork ribs you’ll ever taste. 

Rib Wings cook in under 4 hours.  They’re magic. And they couldn’t be easier or simpler to make.

To make my Rib Wings, cut a rack of pork ribs (I prefer the St. Louis cut over baby back ribs) into one- or two-rib portions. Season all sides of the ribs with 16-mesh black pepper, kosher salt, brown sugar  and garlic powder.

Or use your favorite rib rub; you do you.

Place the ribs in a 250F smoker, leaving a gap between earch rib section for the smoke to circulate. Cook the ribs for about 3 hours until they achieve the soft, pull-apart texture you desire. 

After about an hour in the smoke, I like to sprtiz the ribs every 30-45 minutes with a mixture of apple cider vinegar, brown sugar or maple syrup, a glug of Worcestershire sauce and a little Tabasco. The goal here is to lacquer on thin layers of sweet heat. Then I’ll crank the heat up to 300F for the final 30 minutes to crisp up the edges.

Pull the ribs off the smoker when the meat shrinks back on the rib about a half-inch.

That’s it. And it couldn’t be simpler.

The Rib Wings cook two or three hours faster than that 3-2-1 method, with no flipping or wrapping in foil required.

And there’s no need to peel off the fibrous membrane on the backside of the ribs–it takes care of itself, shrinking back onto the bone as the ribs cook. That’s money. You save an annoying task plus you get smoky, delicious, flavor on all four sides of the rib, not just one or two.

I named them Rib Wings because they look and cook like chicken wings, the ultimate party food. But they’re a whole lot tastier, easier to make and people love the 360-degree flavor.

My friend and NYTimes best-selling author Larry Olmsted wrote about my Rib Wings last year on Forbes. Steven Raichlen’s BarbecueBible.com crowed about them too. Since then, we’ve heard from hundreds of readers who now cook thier ribs using the Rib Wing technique exclusively.

“I’ve made some great ribs, but these are even better,” writes Olmsted in his story. “The fat renders more cleanly than full racks, and the exterior is slightly crispy all around each rib. No one eats ribs for the meat, we eat them for the fatty, tacky, smoky, deliciousness that comes from a long bath in smoke.”

“It’s also a dramatic presentation for guests, whose eyes will light up,” Olmsted says. “They go right from the smoker to the platter, bypassing the cutting board, and it avoids the wastefulness of giving some under eater a half slab and tossing leftovers. It works great for ribs as a main course, but also turns them into a finger-food starter, a multi-meat course, or whatever your imagination allows.”

Best pork ribs you’ll ever make.