Cutting Ribs Before Smoking -- Does It Work?

Can you smoke ribs after cutting a rack into individual pieces? How do they turn out? Are they tender? What are the advantages and disadvantages? In this video, I'm testing this method of preparing ribs to answer those questions.
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#grilling #cooking #ribs #bbq #barbecue

[@EverydayBBQ]

Great video, Ry. I like this method a lot. Perfect way to smother them with flavor and get that perfect bite with every single rib.

[@CookingWithRy]

It certainly had that flavor all around :)

[@michaelgabdlfo6321]

You know what I like about you you always respond to messages these are the kind of KZbin that get my respect

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks so much :)

[@WeekendWarriorBBQ]

Ry, I'm really glad you made this video. I've often wondered how they would cook pre-cut. Great job Ry!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks! I thought the experiment went well :)

[@valeriocarniello6291]

Your videos are so incredibly interesting and relaxing at the same time! Thanks for all your tips and letting me bring a touch of USA to Italy! 🇮🇹🇺🇸

[@chargriller6547]

Love this cook/video RY. This will definitely be the technique I use on my next rib cook. I just recently found your channel and it has quickly become a favorite. Thanks for all the good videos. Keep doin what you do.👍

[@mayralopez2992]

Can't wait to try this method!! Looks mouthwatering!

[@robmoen4609]

This looks great! I think I'll try this on my next camping trip. Thanks Ry.

[@Doug6714]

Great video. I haven't seen ribs smoked that way before. Gives me something to think about on my next smoke. Keep Smoking!

[@richprice482]

Been using your suggested method a number of times. It’s way better than a rack for me and my family. We prefer having all that coating around each rib. I also find I get consistent results with your method. Thanks from a UK Weber griller!

[@neilreid9005]

This looks like an excellent recipe! Thank you-- I'd like to try this. Never had good luck with ribs before but maybe this is an approach that will work for me.

[@brianveestrom6784]

Mad BBQ Scientist Ry! Your natural curiosity is what makes your channel awesome. Inspiring creative cooking through the 'if you can dream it....try it ' grill ethic. Beautiful crusty ribs.

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks!

[@bathroommm]

Such a great video. I love your explanation, real good info for whoever and whatever level of cooking experience can learn. I love ribs but I have never cooked them good. Your video made me wanna own Weber smoker again , Thanks so much.

[@MAZGamingUK]

This looks amazing. We're trying this tomorrow Ry! Will let you know how it goes. Thanks from the UK!

[@ricoe5306]

Thumbs up. Had to watch this. Was curious about the texture after four hours. Looks like a winner to me. Thanks for sharing this video.

[@doccooks2807]

Ok so my husband and I tried this method on some St. Louis spares and OMG did we LOVE this method!!!!! The next time we make them we will send u the pics but thank u so much for this!!!!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thant's awesome! I'd love to see the pics :)

[@generaroa9877]

Awesome 👏 I will try your recipe today .. they look great 👍

[@wade6584]

Thanks Ry, I have some on my weber right now so I appreciate you getting back....

[@CookingWithRy]

Hope they turn out great :)

[@ride0641]

Wow. Looked really good. Glad to see you do this method. I had thought of it many times, just haven't tried it. I probably wouldn't have wrapped them, but after seeing yours I'll have to change my mind. You did it right.

[@CookingWithRy]

I think you could go without wrapping, but for this first attempt I wanted to make sure I had that time to hold some more moisture :)

[@PG52765]

Flavor all the way around!! Looks great!!! Love your vids!!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thank you so much :)

[@redveiner]

What I love about "Q-ing", you learn something new all the time. This old dog just learned a new trick! Thanks

[@CookingWithRy]

So did this old dog :)

[@emperorcleon2647]

Great idea. I will try this soon...

[@iambiblefellowship2886]

Very nice looks delicious I'm going to have to try that.😋👍

[@HerbRasta]

Thanks man I need to do 3 racks this weekend with a small grill. Now I can!

[@chrisb48907]

oh man...they looked awesome ! Nice job Ry !!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thank you!

[@D11Alpha]

Another method I've got try, Ry. Keep on cookin!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks, Doug!

[@patrickdolynchuk2810]

Hi Ry I just tried this method cooked in about 4 hours tasted great. Got rave reviews from my friends. This might be my go to method.

[@pancakepablo]

Wow this is so cool! I never woulda thought that this could work! Thanks for sharing and teaching me something new! Definitely subscribing, can't wait to see what you do next!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks!

[@sakelleys]

Those look delicious guess I'm going to have to try this recipe thanks for the video

[@CookingWithCJ]

I have yet to try ribs this way, but I really want to now. Looks like it adds tons more flavor. Great job Ry!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks!

[@TheBeerbelly007]

Good idea Ry, sure going to try this, thanks

[@CookingWithRy]

Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@kellyhay79]

Definitely added to the repertoire.

[@davidb9547]

Very interesting. Never even thought it could be done. Have to try that one day.👍✌👋

[@destindd]

That fly was in heaven at 6:56. Great cook. Thanks Ry.

[@CookingWithRy]

Sometimes they get lucky :)

[@gkmandymoo]

Awesome cook. Seriously, I was recently thinking about testing this method. Now I HAVE to. Big fan of your videos. Thank you for all the effort and hard work it takes to put out this quality of work. Keep on smoking brother...

[@CookingWithRy]

So glad you're enjoying the videos :)

[@gkmandymoo]

Hey Ry, I just did my test of this method. All I can say is wow! My girls love them. My friends love them. I love them. So much bark. So much Smokey glaze. For the sake of science - I’ll have to do this experiment again. Thanks again Ry.

[@TosTinManEasyCooking]

Those looked awesome! I've done it that way but I think I used spare ribs. I need to try it with baby backs one of these days!

[@67rayfus]

Did these today..thanks Ryguy

[@victorstephen250]

Hello there, I do the same thing but I have a small hook and hook each rib haying from the racks and boy do they come out good .and with your sause now even better. Thank you, Ry

[@foxy70]

I want ribs for breakfast. Great recipe. Thank you for your ideas and inspirations.

[@THEREALSHOWBBQ]

Awesome idea bro. Getting that great bark all the way around has got to give them full flavor. Very nice color on those as well.

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks! I was really happy with that beautiful bark :)

[@TomHorsmanAmateurBBQ]

Nice! I've done this before and called it a pile of ribs indirect on the kamado. Yours look perfect!

[@CookingWithRy]

I like that--pile of ribs!

[@stevehuk902]

I will have to try it!

[@mikesr3011]

Excellent cook. I have a rack of St. Louis ribs and I think i'll try out the individual rib method. I viewed other videos where they cut the ribs a little different than you do (Hollywood/Cadillac style). I think I like your way better, no wasted meat.

[@connietaylor504]

Hey Ry, a fantastic video!! Not long ago, I wanted to smoke beef ribs and all I could find were beef ribs already cut into individual pieces so I bought them. I basically did the same thing you did but without wrapping and cooked them a little longer. Man they were some of the BEST ribs I've ever smoked...my husband raved about them for days.LOL. Will have to try this method with pork ribs...your ribs looked AWESOME and DELICIOUS. Love that bark!👍

[@CookingWithRy]

I've done the same with beef ribs, but never with pork until this time :)

[@JB-yk3ob]

Awesome results! Might give this a try myself next time I do ribs

[@CookingWithRy]

I highly recommend it :)

[@rodneyallen1419]

Ry great vid , such a simple rub with a great taste ,thank-you oh great master of the pit 🇬🇧 .

[@EAprima]

@Cooking With Ry - Hi! My wife said that thanks to your amazing recipes, our camping "bbq" was an incredible success and incredibly delicious as she followed your recipe. We created various dishes all thanks to your videos. IT WAS SO DAMN GOOOOD!!!! Seriously, thank you so much! We are most grateful and will try another set of recipes on our next trip! Please keep well and healthy!

[@CookingWithRy]

That’s so cool! Glad you enjoy the videos :)

[@brucerogers3253]

I have an set smoker that has a burnout firebox but I thought about using the cooking chamber to build my fire and put the meat away from the fire to get that indirect smoke and heat flavor hopefully. I went to a mesquite smokehouse in Texas one day to try something different so I ordered a mesquite smoked steak and that was all she wrote I was hooked on mesquite hook line and sinker. I've never had any meat over smoked I've been trying to get smoke flavor on meat since I changed over to a pellet smoker . I have a section of flexible dryer vent hose I thought about putting around the smoke stack inside the cook chamber and running it down to the great level and that might slow down the exit of the smoke but not to the point where it becomes stale and funky.. I have an accountant friend that works in one of those tall buildings in Dallas Texas and he's asking me to whip up some ribs for him for his birthday ... About lunch time you took those ribs I made himbut since then I had changed over to a pellet smoker and I'm not having much luck getting that smokey wood flavor on anything. So I'm going to pull out a broke down cheap smoker out of the weeds and try to Kindle some life back into this offset smoker again.

[@koenschrooten2782]

what a neat idea! This way you could also make 2 or 3 different kinds of ribs with different rubs/sauces to get different tastes from one rack. Definitely trying this out soon!

[@CookingWithRy]

It's a neat way to customize a single rack for different tastes :)

[@bkeaver644]

ok you sold me! great video Ry!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks!

[@seanhennessy1505]

Did something like this a few weeks ago. Supermarket only had sliced pork spare ribs, they were pretty big ones to. Finished glazed them 3 times over a hour and half, really building up flavor and bark. It was about 5 hour cook time, everyone at the BBQ loved them, saying they've never had a rib like this before. I highly recommend everyone give this a try. Nice job!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks! Yeah that all over flavor is pretty darned good :)

[@katokhaelan4881]

Love you Ry!

[@gsmce]

And now I want ribs!! I don't have a kettle (yet...and yes, through Amazon through your link) so I'm going to try it on my offset. I can smoke a really good backyard brisket but have never really "figured" ribs out. I think this is what I was missing!! Thank you, Ry!!

[@CookingWithRy]

No reason you couldn't do these on the offset :)

[@ebbenny]

You sold me RY! You are awesome! Must try!

[@CookingWithRy]

I did another video with a similar method recently and they were awesome: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5-xn3mIbL5pbKc :)

[@JohnZeeX]

I guess I know how I'm doing my next racks. Looks awesome.

[@CookingWithRy]

Thank you!

[@randomactsofcooking]

I've seen this done before but never done it myself. Just might have to give this technique a try. Looked really full-o-flavor.

[@CookingWithRy]

It was covered with flavor :)

[@onlyychevys]

Will you be doing this this recipe again? I have a gas grill recipe similar to this but not even close to smoking them. You never cease to keep me interested in your recipes!

[@CookingWithRy]

I would definitely do ribs this way again :)

[@Salvatore-1980]

Another great one Ry...I love when you experiment so I don't have to. Love the detailed videos. Malcom reed and you helped me tremendously step up my bbq game. Let me wipe the bbq sauce off my beard and hands and say THANK YOU SIR...

[@CookingWithRy]

I really appreciate the kind words :)

[@pfs8966]

Thanks for the info. . ribs looked delicious.

[@CookingWithRy]

They certainly were :)

[@mandh14]

Some of the best looking ribs I've ever seen!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks!

[@danstovall4424]

Made some "party ribs" somewhat similar to your method last.weekend. I had to put them in the oven as it was raining outside. I used Famous Daves rib rub and put them in the oven for 2 hours at 250. I then put them in an aluminum pan with butter and sauce covered at 350. I took the cover off after a half hour. They were well liked by everyone. I saw another video where someone basted the ribs with melted butter every.half hour. I may do that next time.

[@therealmrstaten1]

they look amazing

[@CookingWithRy]

I was surprised how good they turned out :)

[@Doug6714]

Great video. I haven't done ribs that way yet. I'll be smoking some baby back ribs for Thanksgiving and will try this method. Keep smoking.

[@darjohnsom9368]

ive been looking at smokers for ever but couldnt decide what to get, but watching you i think for now im going with a weber kettle, i have a gas bbq but its crap, i love a charcoal done steak and want to try smoking so i think for me a weber kettle offers a lot thanks Ry love your channel

[@CookingWithRy]

Thank you! I love my kettle and smoke on it all the time :)

[@darjohnsom9368]

hopefully you dont mind if i pic your brain a bit, is it possible i can talk 1on 1 or pm you thanks Ry

[@CookingwithStephennJacklyn]

Hi Ry those ribs look absolutely delicious definitely will be asking my dad to do some ribs soon he loves to cook and try new things he's the guy in the background of my profile and again those ribs look wonderful i really enjoy you videos from Trinidad

[@CookingWithRy]

I'm so glad you enjoy them! It's very cool to have someone watching from Trinidad :)

[@Dive-Bar-Casanova]

I thought about doing that was worried the ribs would dry out. Thumbs up. They look great.

[@CookingWithRy]

I was concerned about the same thing, but keeping those water pans in the cooker did help, I believe :)

[@kingrook8039]

Great video Ry. You dont see many people doing ribs like that. I do my ribs in a similiar way. And it mainly is to save time. Not for me mind you. Because i can hang out in my yard all day if i could. But it so i dont get the constent "dad is it ready"?. "Dad we're starving", " Honey, kids wanna eat hurry up". Lmao....i feed alot of people.

[@CookingWithRy]

Yeah the big families want to eat NOW, not when it's ready :)

[@ChrisMcDowellDIY]

I had just asked myself this question a couple days ago if ribs could be cut apart before cooking and your video pops up today. Spooky. But hey you answered my question. Good cook!

[@ghostrider729]

Hmm,I'm thinking bout it!! In my kamado ry things go a little faster cause of the seal. It's insulated n I find I can smoke meat with a water pan heat diffuser at about 250 degrees way faster than on a Weber,I was raised in a Weber n I know all the tricks, learning on my kamander was wow!! I did the 6 hour rib smoke.. the meat fell off the bone my Puerto Rican wife was so mad,I had to eat them all by myself , for a week!! NOW I cook by temperature only , time doesn't matter on a egg style grill. I'm rambling but I love your channel,I use a lot of your techniques on my grill!!

[@SatoshiHODL]

Love your vids and your curiousity on this, but I probably will never pre-cut a rack prior to smoking them.

[@alexiabarrera4029]

Gordon Ramsey does this to his ribs and I was wondering how he did it. Great video!

[@KingsGambit1111]

That’s awesome

[@peteprizzi8508]

Gotta tell ya i made these yesterday + soooo good! 7-28-22 Wondered about the amount of brn sugar but it was perfect.They tasted so good with just rub, didn't sauce all of the ribs.There's something to be said for cooking them individually. I've done "Dino" beef ribs separately + i like the bark on all sides.Thanku for doin video + sharin' the rub recipe.

[@BUMMERSBARBQ]

Ribs looked great....going to have to try that......

[@CookingWithRy]

It worked really well :)

[@StoneMountainAdventures]

I'm going to try this soon! Those looked amazing! Great video Ry!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thank you!

[@mdbaus]

I'm gonna use that same rub, on some mako shark steaks that I have cut to resemble ribs .....use the same method, except for the wrapping, thanks for the method!!

[@CookingWithRy]

You're very welcome :)

[@mooseman3136]

There's another way to cut them for more meat and less bones. You cut so that you have meat on each side of the bone and cut every other bone out. Each rib you have double the meat but fewer number bones overall. Also makes the cooking process easier by having less pieces to deal with. Saw this on another video on competition BBQ for cutting after the cook but it would work well here. I just started smoking and have been watching a lot of videos. Just discovered your channel and I absolutely love your videos. Great for the everyday guy smoking for pleasure. Keep it up and don't change anything.

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@frostythenowhrmn]

Great video and recipe. Do you think spare ribs would work just as well?

[@CookingWithRy]

Sure. They may take a bit longer, but the idea is still the same--flavor all over :)

[@dwaynewladyka577]

Amazing looking ribs. So nice!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thank you :)

[@LassesFoodAndBarbecue]

I have seen a cpl of videos with cut ribs. Never tried it though. I will have to give it a go :)

[@CookingWithRy]

I'm glad I finally gave it a try :)

[@michaelgabdlfo6321]

Well I guess it's your first time I did every little step they are delicious the only thing is I didn't do it in that nice smoker that he has I only have a stove it worked fine but it would taste better in a smoker

[@docwho10th88]

This is the way we do them inTexas! When compared to regular rack ribs.....the flavor is MUCH more intense! BIGGER smoke and rub flavor!

[@antonioandersonroblero3650]

Well now I want to try this method

[@CookingWithRy]

Give it a shot. Great flavor around every individual rib :)

[@stevelitteral]

Really, really like.

[@turky2tyme]

Definitely gonna try these on days off

[@CookingWithRy]

I say go for it :)

[@barringtoncarlisle2056]

Nice looking ribs Ry. Just started a series of sous vide cooking tests on ribs. Not been cutting them into individual ribs but have been doing portions that will fit in the bag easily! Why? Well as I've said before, I don't care to stand outside in the wind, rain and cold! Answer! Do the slow cooking inside using the sous vide method along with a good dry rub for 80% of the cook then out onto the smoker for the last 20% to add some smoke and a glaze! Does it work? Well the ribs are super tender, depending how long and at what temp you sous vide them at. Do they take the smoke for that 20%? Well my friends have noticed no difference in taste to the ribs they normally get! The glaze and bark that I get for the last bit of the cook on the smoker has fooled them into believing I've stood outside all through the cook! Only real comment from them has been 'wow these are real tender' So I suppose it works but I do feel a bit of a fraud, though warm and dry!🇬🇧

[@CookingWithRy]

If it tastes great, that's all that matters :)

[@rubyk5115]

I'm so glad I found this video bc ShopRite only had precut baby back ribs so I got three packs. I have a rib recipe, and BBQ sauce and I'm using hickey chips. My question is I have a master built propane smoker. This is my first time smoking ribs. Your method for time and temp will work for me right? I have the thermopro xl masterbuilt propane smoker.

[@CookingWithRy]

Absolutely it should work fine for you using the same temps :)

[@dansong.tolman2793]

Looks great I will do it soon. Did you add water at any point? Thanks for the video.

[@CookingWithRy]

No, the water pans that were filled at the beginning worked throughout :)

[@dansong.tolman2793]

@@CookingWithRy thank you, looks like a great option.

[@Jeremyb2023]

I cut ribs the other day before cooking them in a crock pot (sorry, I don't have time or a smoker). Despite coming from a crock pot, they were amazing. I would definitely cut them before cooking next time!

[@CookingWithRy]

Nothing wrong with a crockpot. All that matters is whether you enjoyed them 👍

[@steveorensteen4255]

Great job buddy, and where did you purchase your rib rack?

[@CookingWithRy]

The rack I used in the video? I think I picked that up at Home Depot a few years ago.

[@meds714]

Ry, any special place you'd recommend buying ribs from? In in Anaheim and usually do Staters or Albertson's but would love any recommendations since you're nearby. Love the channel!! 👌🏼

[@CookingWithRy]

I get a lot of my meat from Staters. Most of the time though I’ll get ribs in cryovac packs from Smart & Final or Costco 😊

[@ab6617]

You reckon I could do this but cut the slabs into 3-5 rib sections? I’ll have to adjust timing a bit and test it. Method looks really nice. Well done sir. Cut down the time and management, ease of turning, and folks get the amount of ribs they want while they’re still hot, then come back for another. I’ll test it with family so I have more time to drink..er... I mean think.

[@CookingWithRy]

Sounds like it would work 👍

[@EPA3]

Impossible

[@oren5230]

Ya done good Ryan. Some folks may boil ribs, then sauce 'em after a char on the grill.

[@CookingWithRy]

Yep, I've seen that done :)

[@rockinjames1]

Best added moisture is beer🤟

[@NoneYaBidness762]

Damnit. Now I have to try it.

[@rocket4602]

Thanks Ry! I'm thinking a chicken drumstick holder? Saw one in the HEB bbq isle. (HEB is a Texas based mega grocery store y'all) Get'n one.

[@TonyDiSarro]

I would have eaten them at 3 hours.. what willpower! Great job. Awesome looking ribs

[@ccccgregory]

RY have you tried the SNS yet? It’s a great product!

[@CookingWithRy]

I've used it several times now. It works really well :)

[@Kmuggle]

Have you pulled this off on a PBC ... and if so, how so? Inquiring minds want to know! You have a great channel!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks! I haven't done this specific cut but I did do individual beef back ribs on the PBC: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKSZoYyoZtOJgMU :)

[@getter7seven]

Neat---always figured this could work, doubly for the likes of gigantic beef ribs if only for logistical ease of space wrangling.

[@CookingWithRy]

I've done beef ribs like this before, but never pork. And it worked! Love it when things work out :)

[@getter7seven]

Should work for lamb, bison, goat, etc from the look of it.

[@stevenfrantz7106]

hi ray seen this trick // large handle fish rack put in pcs. fold lock handles ; you can flip 1 turn

[@CookingWithRy]

That'll work!

[@DerickZ28]

Did they already have the knuckle removed? You cut those super easy!

[@CookingWithRy]

Yes it was already trimmed up :)

[@dylanleamananderson7811]

Going to be an interesting watch I will have to try this for the wife she loves ribs

[@CookingWithRy]

My wife does, too, and she really enjoyed these :)