How Do I Know When Ribs Are Done?

Are you having difficulty cooking ribs using the smoker or grill? The first thing you’re probably wondering about is how to tell when ribs are done or what the right internal temperature for pork ribs should be. Luckily, we have everything you need to know about making the best ribs right from the comfort of your home! 

Different Types of Pork Ribs

Among the most common pork ribs used for smoking, braising, and grilling fall into 4 main categories.

• Spare Ribs: These are wide and flat cuts loaded on great intramuscular fat since they’re located close to the pork belly. It also comes with a good amount of connective tissue which holds the meat together. This mix of tissue and fat makes this option ideal for slow cooking that adds flavor and tenderness. 
• St. Louis Spare Ribs: This can be cut off a rack of full spare ribs; normally, it is trimmed at the end of three bones, and the upper portion of the cartilage and bones are removed. 
• Baby Back Ribs: Known as the most popular rib type used for grilling since it comes with less fat compared to spare ribs but also has more meat over the bone. As such, they can be great for both slow and low smoking, or fast and hot grilling. 
• Country-Style Ribs: While it might sound weird, country-style ribs aren’t actually ribs since these are typically taken from a pork shoulder. However, they do come with connective tissue and fat content similar to ribs. 

Buying the Right Ribs

If you’re not sure about the kind of rib you want to cook, we recommend buying a single rack in every rack from your grocery store before cooking them side by side. This should give you plenty of opportunity to taste test each cut and see which you prefer. While all ribs are delicious, some people will prefer the fattiness that spare ribs can offer and others may prefer the meatiness of a baby back but the only way to know is to try them! 

What is the Best Internal Temperature for Pork Ribs? 

When it comes to cooking pork ribs, the best internal temperature to work with is 200 degrees F. We recommend cooking any kind of ribs to reach an internal temperature of 198 to 202° F. However, getting an accurate internal temperature for pork ribs can be hard as a result of the bones and thinner layers of meat. 

The best way to take temperature readings from rib meat is from the end of the rack but this will vary depending on different cuts of pork ribs. Even so, using an accurate instant-read thermometer can help you check for doneness to deliver juicy and tender pork ribs all the time.  

Best Temperature for Spare Ribs 

When working with spare ribs or the more trimmed St. Louis spare ribs, the best internal temperature for cooking time is between 200 to 202° F. It’s necessary to work with this higher temperature because of the muscle structure and fat content of these cuts. 

Best Temperature for Baby Back Ribs

This cut is leaner and may dry out when cooked at high temperatures, so reaching 198 to 200° F is the ideal temperature for them. Just keep in mind that your meat may not fall off the bone when you reach this temperature, so you may want to crank it up more to get that tender and juicy meat. 

Best Temperature for Country Style Ribs

Anywhere between 202 to 205° F is the right internal temperature for country-style ribs since they’re taken from the pork’s shoulder. As such, they come with a bit of fat and will reach their ideal texture at higher temperatures. 

How to Look for Doneness in Ribs

While the temperature is one of the various factors that you can use to look for doneness, there isn’t a magic number when you want to achieve rib perfection. Below are just a few ways to look for a meat’s doneness. 

Using a Meat Thermometer

Getting a quality meat thermometer can help to provide you with the information you need during your cooking process. Once you reach 195° F, connective tissues will start to break down, and the meat becomes juicier. However, more ribs will hit the fall-off-the-bone sweet spot around 198° F, although some may take up to 203° F. 

For the most accurate reading for temperatures, be sure to insert your thermometer inside the thickest part of the meat in between bones. If you’re pressed for time, you can take the meat out earlier as long as the internal temperature of the ribs reaches 195° F for safe consumption.   

Doing the Bend Test

When you want to get a perfect finished rack of ribs then simply reaching the ideal finished internal temperature won’t be enough. A great way to check doneness is through the “bend test” which will require you to get a pair of tongs to lift the end of the rib. Lift it off the grates; if you can life up the whole rack and the tough connective tissues are still tight then they still need more cooking time but if they break apart then you’ve achieved bone tender ribs.  

Bone Pull-Back

Using this method provides a way to see rib doneness but it can also be inaccurate. More often than not, ribs will finish cooking and will be ready to take out of the grill once you see that the rib has pulled away from the bones and around half an inch of the bones are exposed. However, this isn’t the most accurate method since spare ribs can pull back more compared to baby back ribs, so you may need to enhance the method by squeezing the meat between the rib’s bones. 

Doing this will also improve the aesthetic appearance of your finished ribs. 

How to Defrost Ribs? 

If your ribs are bought frozen, it’s best to completely defrost them before you attempt to cook the meat. This is because cooking meat while still frozen can lead to a significantly longer cooking time compared to recipes you might have seen. Some people have found that cooking a slab of frozen ribs can turn out drier than they wanted as a result of the high heat needed to achieve their desired temperature. 

Removing the Membrane using Paper Towels

This is one of the most important steps that can affect the texture of the ribs; you can leave or detach this papery membrane over the bony side of your ribs. You’ll see that it’s white and thin and as you cook the ribs, it will dry out and become leathery so to combat this, it’s best to fully remove it. All you need to do is lift the membrane with a butter knife and then grip the rib using a paper towel; next, peel the membrane off the ribs. 

How Long Should I Cook Ribs?

All of the indicators above can help you get the best results for your ribs, but the most inaccurate way to tell whether the meat is done is how much time it spends on your grill. Some people will spend 6 to 7 hours on a low and slow smoke, braising their meat in apple juice and brown sugar while others cook their ribs in salt, black pepper, and garlic powder rub to create a crunchy coating. 

Either way, using a charcoal grill to cook your ribs will result in tender meat that falls right off the bone. The exact amount of time that your meat takes to cook will depend on the type of ribs you’re working with as well as the cooking temp on your grill. 

How Do I Know When Ribs are Done?

If you’re ready to get started on your next backyard party and want to please your guests, now is the time! With our guide above, you can get the best results using any cooking method since you know how to remove the membrane and tell when your meat is done. Make sure to ready your best dry rubs, because once you’re done with your ribs, everybody will be begging for more! 

Sources 

• Heygrillhey.com
• Onehotmamas.com
• Thymeforthetable.com