Gas Grilled Baby Back Ribs, Brined With Garlic, Sage and Rosemary Rub

Prep Time: 4 hours (mostly unattended)
Cook Time: 4 hours

Equipment

• Grill (I love my massive Weber Summit, particularly when I need space for ribs.)
• Rib rack

Ingredients

• 2 racks baby back ribs

Brine

• 1 quart water
• 3/4 cup fine sea salt (or 1 cup kosher salt, or 1/2 cup table salt)
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 6 Cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 bunch fresh sage leaves
• 1 sprig Rosemary

The rest of the brine

• 2 quarts ice water (2 quarts of ice, covered with water)

Directions

1. Brine the ribs

On the bone side of the ribs, work a butter knife between the membrane and the bone, then grab with a paper towel and pull the membrane off of the ribs. (If it tears while you’re pulling, work the knife under the remaining pieces and pull them off as well.)  In a medium pot over medium heat, simmer the brine ingredients, stirring often, until the salt and sugar dissolve and you smell the garlic and herbs, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, measure out the 2 quarts of ice water, and transfer it to a container large enough to fit the ribs and the brine. Pour the hot brine into the ice water, stir, then add the ribs. Cover the container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably 4 to 8 hours.

2. Set the grill up for indirect low heat (275°F)

Set your grill up for indirect low heat, somewhere between 250°F to 300°F. I preheat my Weber Summit with all burners on high for 10 minutes, and then brush the grill grate clean. I leave burners #1 and #6 on medium, then off all burners between them.

3. Cook the ribs

Put the baby back ribs on the grate over indirect heat, as far away from the lit burners as you can get them. (I use a rib rack to make it easy to work with the ribs on the grill.) Close the lid and cook until the ribs are tender and the meat has pulled down 1/2 an inch from the end of the bones, about 3 hours. Wrap each rack of ribs in a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, put them back in the grill, close the lid, and cook for another hour.

4. Rest and serve

Remove the ribs from the grill and let them rest for 10 minutes to cool down. Unwrap the foil, slice the between the ribs (if “a whole rack” isn’t your serving size), and serve.