Bacon Wrapped Ribs

I came across a version of this recipe while conducting grilling research (that is what Scott says I do best!) and decided to modify said idea to Grillin’ Fools methodology.  This is my first effort and I must say it was most taste-worthy.  I’ll include brining, baconing (If that isn’t a word, it should be), indirect smoking, and glazing to produce some flavorful pork. After all, wouldn’t we all like more pork with our pork? Scroll down for step by step, picture by picture, foolproof grilling instructions for Bacon Wrapped Ribs. 

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Bacon Wrapped Ribs Ingredients:

• 1 slab pork spare ribs
• 1 lb of thick slab bacon – reserved for later
• 6 tbsp of your favorite rub – reserved for later

The first step will involve honing your knife skills. See what I did there?!  

A 3 lb. slab of St. Louis spareribs will require a little trimming and then removal of every other bone to increase the meat to bone ratio as spares can sometimes be a little sparse in the meat department.

But first, skin those ribs:

We always skin our ribs to permit seasonings and smoke flavor to penetrate while yielding a tender bite.  Now grab a slender utility knife. 

Please understand I’m not a meat cutter and some of them seeing this are probably chuckling right now at my feeble attempt. 

Here’s a look at the process.

How to De-Bone Ribs

The slender knife blade is inserted from each end of the bone and worked around the bone on both sides:

Soon, I realized I was having a bit of difficulty and sought another sharp instrument…a boning/filet knife that was better designed for my purpose. 

Please exercise caution.

It appears every time I use this razor sharp rascal I end up wounded (only poked my finger once this time).

There! I did it! 

The first interior bone is removed and most of the meat is intact surrounding the other bone:

And a close up:

Now skip a bone and repeat the process until every other bone has been removed.

This leaves some very meaty ribs.

If you find this process troublesome, ask your local butcher to do this for you:

Don’t forget the rib tips! 

The spare ribs were trimmed to achieve St. Louis ribs style but the tips were included with my purchase.  The piece shown was boneless and cartilage free—I trimmed a bit of cartilage from another chunk and ended up with 3 more rib-size hunks. 

More on that later. 

The other small pieces shown?  We call them nibblers:

Brining is the next step.

Rib Brine Ingredients:

• 1 quart apple juice
• ¼ cup salt
• 2 teaspoon white (or black or both) pepper

The trimmed ribs go into a re-sealable plastic bag along with the rib brine ingredients.

Slosh the bag around until the salt is completely dissolved. 

Then refrigerated for 2 to 12 hours:

When grilling time approaches drain, rinse, and pat dry the ribs to prepare for seasoning and bacon.

Why Should I Brine Ribs?

For three reasons:

1. A rib brine makes the ribs juicier
2. It makes the ribs more tender
3. It makes the ribs more flavorful

If you are interested in another recipe where we brine ribs, click here.

Season the brined ribs liberally with the rub:

Take a close up look at a rubbed rib. It looks edible already!

Wrap each rib in bacon and secure with toothpicks. Then dust with remaining rub.

Keep in mind that the bacon will stretch.

I used one strip on most and 1 ½ strips on a few:

The rib tips were also dusted with rub, trimmed to size, bacon wrapped and will join the other pieces on the grill:

How to Grill Bacon Wrapped Ribs

The kettle charcoal grill is set up for indirect/two zone grilling with hot coals on one side and no heat on the other. Place the meat on the side with no heat and on the coals toss a couple hunks of pear and hickory.  Apple, peach, apricot will do for the pear if you are so inclined. For the most extensive list of smoke woods and what they pair well with on the web, check this link.  Don’t forget to use a drip pan under the bacon wrapped ribs.  Usually I indirect ribs with a high heat method which is in the range of 275-325 temp-wise. 

This cook resulted in the higher end at 325. I’ll have to be more on the ball next time around but it turned out fine in the end as you’ll see later.  I’m anticipating a cook time of 2 hours.

…and they’re on!!

While the bacon wrapped ribs are smoking I went back inside to prepare a glaze to add more to the flavor profile and give this recipe a proper finish:

Agave Thai Chili Glaze Ingredients:

• ¼ cup apple juice
• ¼ Blues Hog Smoky Mountain Sauce
• 1 tsp Agave Nectar (substitute brown sugar or honey)
• 1 tbsp Thai Sweet Chile Sauce
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Combine all the ingredients in a small pot, place over medium heat, stirring occasionally until all ingredients are combined.

A look at 90 minutes at my bacon wrapped brined ribs.

Is that bone I’m seeing?

Time to Glaze

During the last 15 minutes the glaze is applied.

The bacon wrapped ribs were given 2 coats on each side.

How does that look? 

Yeah, that’s bone alright in the bottom right, now I’m concerned I’ve over-grilled these rascals. 

Drill in a bit closer…if that doesn’t get your appetite going then I don’t know what does!

Pulled from the grill:

They’re lookin’ a bit dark. That is the sugars in the Blues Hog caramelizing.

Taken inside and a lot of bone is showing now I’m even more concerned. Expect an editorial comment about now as to why I didn’t use a thermometer.

We prefer ribs that are just short of fall off the bone, tender but leave a definite bite mark.

Only one way to check:

That’s the perfect bite:

Bacon Wrapped Ribs Recap:

This recipe was a great combination of smoky spicy warmth cushioned by the sweetness of the glaze and no chance of the ribs drying out with the bacon basting them throughout the grilling process. The bites were very meaty due to the extra knife prep. The crispiness of the bacon combined with the tender rib meat yielded an enjoyable contrasting texture.  Mmmm. Pork on pork turned out beautifully.

And while this came out great the first time, in the future I would make a couple adjustments. I would eliminate the brining process as the bacon continually bastes the rib meat which preserves the moisture so no need for the brine. I would also consider using low sodium bacon next time.  The salt taste, although not overpowering, was bit heavy for my taste because the ribs got a heavy dose of salt in the brine and again from the salty bacon. We’re big proponents of brining, but in this case it isn’t necessary. The recipe in the printable card below has the amended recipe with the changes outlined in this paragraph.

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Recipe Card:

Print Recipe

4 from 1 vote

Bacon Wrapped Ribs

Ribs, every other bone removed, seasoned with a dry rub, wrapped in BACON, and glazed with an Asian/Mexican fusion sauce

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Ribs

Cuisine: BBQ

Servings: 3 -4

Ingredients

Bacon Wrapped Ribs

• 1 slab St. Louis style spare ribs skinned
• 1 lb thick cut bacon
• 6 tbsp dry rub

Asian/Mexican Fusion Glaze

• ¼ cup apple juice
• ¼ Blue's Hog BBQ sauce
• 1 tsp Agave Nectar substitute brown sugar or honey
• 1 tbsp Thai Sweet Chile Sauce
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions

Bacon Wrapped Ribs

• Slice the ribs after every second rib and then remove one of the two ribs by working a long, slender (and VERY sharp) knife down the bone from each end and remove the bones leaving one in
• Cover all sides of the meat with a BBQ rub
• Wrap each chunk with bacon, securing with a toothpick if necessary
• Add another dusting or rub to the outside of the bacon
• Prepare the grill for two zone/indirect grilling with coals/heat on one side and nothing on the other
• Target temperature inside the grill is 300, plus or minus 25
• Place a drip pan underneath the ribs on the cool side of the grill and smoke wood on the other (we used pear and hickory)
• Smoke for approximately 2 hours or until the meat pulls back from the bone about a half inch
• Prepare the sauce

Asian/Mexican Fusion Glaze

• Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer to thicken and then apply to the ribs on both sides twice over the last 15 minutes of the grilling session
• Remove the ribs from the grill after the second coating and serve

Greg Thomas

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This article was initially published on: June 25, 2013