Texas Style BBQ Ribs Recipe

Texas BBQ is a popular style of preparing ribs by cooking them slowly for a long period of time, often by smoking. The ribs are flavored with a dry rub which in its basic form consists of only black pepper and salt. They are one of the most popular foods in America.

During cooking, they are regularly spritzed with some combination of water and apple cider or apple juice to keep the meat from drying out. Once cooked, they are served with other barbecued meats and sides.

Texas BBQ has distinct regional variations. Central Texas is known for serving a trio of bbq meats, called the holy trinity. It features dry rubbed smoked brisket, bbq rib and hot sausages. Eastern Texas favors using pork ribs over the more commonly used beef rib.

On the Southern end of Texas ribs are made with flavorings inspired by nearby Mexico. Wood is the preferred fuel source for Texas BBQ. This is because the smoke from the wood adds another flavor profile to the meat. Oak, mesquite, pecan and hickory are the top wood choices.  

This method is not limited to just ribs and is used for other meats including brisket, sausages, pork shoulder, chicken and turkey.

Common sides are Texas style potato salad which is made with extra egg, mac and cheese, creamed corn, fried okra, green bean, collard greens and signature Texas pinto beans which is made with chopped brisket.

Origin and Cultural Significance

It’s generally believed that barbeque is the modern word for barbacoa, a method of food preservation used by the indigenous peoples of Puerto Rico, where meat was hung over smoky fire to dry it out which extended its storage life and was less appealing to insects.

The Spanish conquistadors later brought this method into the North where BBQ took a life of its own in Texas.

Texas BBQ has four main influences: The German and Czech brought their meat markets traditions and good quality meat flavored simply with salt and pepper. Smoking over oak is preferred.

The East Texas BBQ ribs dish is influenced by African slaves and saucy ribs, usually pork is preferred. West Texas BBQ, also known as cowboy style, is influenced by ranchers who smoke ribs with direct heat from mesquite wood. South Texas’s TexMex BBQ might be cooked underground pits, is not limited to just ribs and is still called barbacoa.

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Texas Style BBQ Ribs Recipe

Yield: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes

Texas BBQ Ribs is a popular style of preparing ribs by cooking them slowly for a long period of time, often by smoking.

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Ingredients

• Rack of ribs (6 lbs) - 1

Dry Rub

• Chili powder - 2 tbsp
• Salt - 2 tbsp
• Garlic powder - 2 tbsp
• Onion powder - 2 tbsp
• Cayenne - 2 tbsp
• Black pepper (cracked) - 1 tbsp
• Paprika - 2 tbsp

Sauce

• Brown sugar - to taste
• Honey - to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare the barbeque smoker with hickory or pecan wood.
2. If using briquets and woodchips, soak the chips in water beforehand.
3. Mix the spices for the rub.
4. Rub the ribs with the dry rub and let sit for one hour before cooking.
5. Smoke ribs slowly over indirect heat at about 250 to 275 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.
6. Remove the ribs from the smoker and wrap them in foil.
7. Cover meat generously with the brown sugar and honey.
8. Put the ribs back into the smoker for 2 ½ - 3 hrs. The ribs are ready when the bones can twist and pull out of the meat easily.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 112Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 3620mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 5gSugar: 6gProtein: 5g

Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.

Photo Credit: Wally Gobetz