5 Methods to Cook Ribs Faster Without Sacrificing Quality

Everyone likes ribs, but they could take hours to cook. We’d love to have ribs more often, but who has time to start preparing dinner before lunch? Ribs can take up to six hours to cook.

Fortunately, it’s possible to make tasty and delicious ribs in under two hours. You won’t have to wait for special occasions to enjoy your ribs!

Here are five cooking methods to help you prepare ribs quickly.

1. Grilling over direct heat

You wouldn’t think this would be effective, but they do it all the time in Japan, Mexico, Argentina and Korea. In order to get this right, you have to choose a special type of ribs that can withstand the heat without burning and drying out. Use a medium fire and maintain a fire-free zone so you can move the ribs in case there’s a fiery flare-up.

Best ribs for this type of cooking: Country-style pork ribs, baby back pork ribs, lamb ribs, veal ribs, or cross-cut beef short ribs (sometimes called Korean-style short ribs).

2. Grilling over indirect heat

This isn’t true indirect heat, because you’ll be cooking around 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep them away from the heat just as you would if you were smoking. If your ribs have plenty of marbling, they shouldn’t dry out. Pick up a rib rack so you prop the ribs on their side, keeping them off the heat and letting them baste in their own juices a bit (it also frees up grill space).

Best ribs for this type of cooking: baby back pork ribs, country-style pork ribs, lamb ribs, and pork spare ribs.

3. Grilling over direct/indirect heat

This is cooking between direct and indirect heat. It’s used in mid-south places like Tennessee a lot. Cook the ribs over glowing coals, but about two feet above the heat. It’ll be warmer than indirect coking, but you’ll have your meat farther away so it’s like combining both worlds.

Best ribs for this type of cooking: cross-cut short ribs, veal ribs, lamb ribs, spare ribs, and baby back pork ribs.

4. Smoke roasting

Smoke roasting is the same as indirect grilling, but with the addition of smoke. People typically add chunks of wood, chips or logs to get their favorite flavor. You can also use tea smoking mixtures and certain types of foliage to get your favorite tastes (just make sure you’re following a recipe and you use a flavor enhancer with a high burning temperature so it doesn’t burn away).

Best ribs for this type of cooking: veal ribs, beef back ribs, pork spare ribs, and pork baby back ribs.

5. Roasting on a spit

Most people wouldn’t think a rotisserie would work for ribs, but it’s surprisingly effective. It cooks fast and the lateral heat crisps the meat without burning away the fat. As the rotisserie spins, the meat is constantly basted in its own juices so it comes out moist. Threading the ribs on the spit is the hardest part. Use a knife to make starter holes. Many grills and smokers come with attachments for rotisseries.

Best ribs for this type of cooking: veal ribs, beef back ribs, pork baby back ribs, and pork spare ribs.

Written by Ian Baranesky of The Smoker Broker

The Smoker Broker is the go-to resource for competitive-grade smokers and grills and all things BBQ in Canada. With a passion for BBQ and great experience, they carry the best BBQ products to sell to stores and direct to consumers. As the exclusive Canadian distributor for Yoder Smokers, the Smoker Broker looks for the highest quality grills and accessory products to bring to the public.

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