Smoked Ribs on Gas Grill

HOW TO: Smoke Ribs on a Gas Grill

At the in-laws, and no wood pellet grill. Had to improvise!

Luckily, you can turn any gas grill into a smoker, by using a pellet tube or smoke box:

A-Maze-n 12in-18in Expandable Tube Smoker (also available on eBay)

Stainless Steel Smoker Box by CaveTools.com (also available on eBay)

With a smoker tube or box, simply fill with your favorite pellets or chips, and then light one end with a propane torch or lighter. Let pellets or chips burn until smoke is firmly established, and they begin to glow. Then blow out the fire, and let the smoke roll.

If going chips route, check out Char-Broil Simple Smoke (Hickory, Apple, or Cherry). With chips, you may want to add water to them in a bowl first, and let them soak/expand, before adding to smoke box.

Now for the rib instructions:

  1. Remove silver skin on the back of the ribs

  2. Rub ribs generously with mustard

  3. Add your favorite rub liberally to both sides of the ribs

  4. Cover in saran wrap, put back in refrigerator for 30 minutes to 4 hours.

Once you are ready to cook, on a four burner gas grill, start half of the burners on one side. Set to low. Put your smoker tube above one of the hot grates. Close lid, and let temperature climb to 225F. Adjust burner accordingly to get it to keep at that temp.

  1. Remove ribs from refrigerator and un-wrap.

  2. Add ribs to the cold side of the grill, bone-side down.

  3. Close lid, and let smoke build.

  4. Every hour, for two (2) hours, open grill and re-arrange ribs.

  5. At two hour mark, cover ribs in foil, adding a 1/2 cup of apple juice, and leave on for another (1) hour.

  6. Check ribs at 3 hour mark for tenderness and temp. They should be fall-off the bone, with meat receding from bone by at least a 1/4 inch.

  7. Once cooked to optimal tenderness, remove from foil and add sauce (turning every 5 minutes) for wet ribs, or remove and let rest for 15 minutes.

Cooking on charcoal? Check on this Classic Baby Back Ribs recipe from Weber, using a similar technique.

That’s about it. Now you’re ready to try ribs on a gas grill!


How-To: Salt & Pepper Steak

It’s a week night. You’re tired, but craving BBQ. We’ve all been there. But if it’s going to be good, it’s got to be low & SLOW, right?

Not necessarily so, at least not in the case of this awesome steak recipe we’re about to share.

In just under 20 minutes, you could be eating one of the best steaks of your life, and it’s quite possible you have all the key ingredients in your pantry already.

What are you waiting for?



Spicy Mexican Beef Rub for Tri-Tip

We are on a beef kick here at Rendezvous. Our go to cut for the grill as of late has been the Tri Tip. Grilling this meat to perfection, however, requires a bit of practice. The best place to start is with a good seasoning.

RELATED: 21 Essentials for Traeger Owners: http://bit.ly/TraegerEssentials

You can’t go wrong with Traeger’s Santa Maria Tri Tip recipe.

But if you want to try your hand at rub-making, give this Mexican Dry Rub a try.

If you like it on beef, try it on chicken and pork too. We love this recipe so much, we keep a small batch of this rub mixed and ready to go in our pantry.

Pro-tip: This rub can pack a punch. If you are keeping several pre-mixed rubs on hand, a label is a must.

If you’re grilling or smoking the Tri-Tip, a good char and crust will provide lots of flavor. But this cut is very easy to overcook. When in doubt, use a meat thermometer.

RELATED: Digital Thermometers Buying Guide: http://bit.ly/BestThermometers

Here’s a helpful “how to” from Traeger on carving up your creation (once you’ve tented it, and let it rest appropriately):

How to Carve a Tri Tip by Traeger Grills

Here’s what the result should look like:


Let’s rendezvous!

Are you ready for some serious barbecue?!? We are excited to launch this new site, and what we hope will be a lively community of fellow BBQ enthusiasts.

It’s been almost a decade since we actively blogged last. Passions come and go. So do tastes. In the past several years, we went from backyard barbecue enthusiasts, to serious ‘cue lovers. We finally decided it’s time to take what we’ve learned, and share it with the world.

Rain, snow, or shine, we are uncovering the grill or smoker, and searing, smoking, or grilling our way to new frontiers. New echelons of smoky goodness. From ribs to brisket, cobbler to cornbread, and asparagus to zucchini — we’ve got a hankering for making it into the worlds best barbecue.

If that’s sounds like you too, welcome home. We invite you to rendezvous back with us here often! Interact, share, and help us grow this community.