Confession of a Rib Boiler

This reminds me a lot of all the beer conversations had on this site in the past.

What I'm getting out of the discussions - boiling ribs is the equivalent to drinking Bud Light, smoking ribs is the equivalent to drinking craft beer.

I was thinking the same thing.

Perhaps...but there's A LOT of Bud Light consumed in this country...

This reminds me a lot of all the beer conversations had on this site in the past.

What I'm getting out of the discussions - boiling ribs is the equivalent to drinking Bud Light, smoking ribs is the equivalent to drinking craft beer.

I was thinking the same thing.

Perhaps...but there's A LOT of Bud Light consumed in this country...

That doesn't make doing either right though!

" I've had some parboiled ribs that were very good...just isn't true "BBQ"."

Totally agree with Steve . . . absolutely nothing wrong with parboiling ribs! (If you like em mushy, and caramalize some sauce for color, more power to you!)

What I HATE is the people that then call these "barbecue" . . . no, they are boiled and grilled - if you like them, great, but do NOT call them bbq! (maybe call this an extension of Marsha's article on condiments and their correct naming/ingredients?)

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Unfortunately I'm writing this from Chicago, where tonight we're going with a group to Carson's for ribs. Carson's slathers sauce on ribs, wraps them in foil, slow-cooks them for many hours, then unwraps them and finishes on a grill. Very tasty, decent product, but NOT BBQ!

Andrew you might want to talk to the folks at Carson's. Everything is called BBQ on their menu. They even claim to be America's #1 BBQ.

Andrew you might want to talk to the folks at Carson's. Everything is called BBQ on their menu. They even claim to be America's #1 BBQ.

Of course they say that! They also brag that they do not "parboil" (true, but foil wrap works almost the same) and do not use a rub on their meat (but they do use sauce, which while steaming permeates the meat (albeit not in the same way))!

I would be a lot happier with them if they called the ribs grilled, or used any term other than bbq. That doesn't mean I don't like them - I scarfed down a 1/2 chicken and several ribs - but I just am pedantic enough so as to resent them using the term "bbq".

Just to add to the confusion. It could just be a matter of semantics.

Barbecue or barbeque (common spelling variant)[1] (with abbreviations BBQ, Bar-B-Q and Bar-B-Que; and diminutive form barbie, used chiefly in Australia and New Zealand; and called Braai in South Africa) is a method and apparatus for cooking meat and various other foods, with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of charcoal, cooking gas, or even electricity; and may include application of a marinade, spice rub, or basting sauce to the meat or vegetables.

In British usage, barbecuing and grilling refer to a fast cooking process directly over high heat, while grilling also refers to cooking under a source of direct, high heat—known in the U.S. and Canada as broiling. In US English usage, however, grilling refers to a fast process over high heat, while barbecuing refers to a slow process using indirect heat and/or hot smoke (very similar to some forms of roasting). For example, in a typical U.S. home grill, food is cooked on a grate directly over hot charcoal, while in a U.S. barbecue, the coals are dispersed to the sides or at significant distance from the grate. Its South American versions are the southern Brazilian churrasco and the Argentine asado.

Alternatively, an apparatus called a smoker with a separate fire box may be used. Hot smoke is drawn past the meat by convection for very slow cooking. This is essentially how barbecue is cooked in most U.S. "barbecue" restaurants, but nevertheless, many consider this to be a distinct cooking process called hot smoking.

Barbecuing encompasses four distinct types of cooking techniques. The original technique is cooking using smoke at lower temperatures (usually around 240°F) and significantly longer cooking times (several hours), known as smoking. Another technique is baking, utilizing a masonry oven or any other type of baking oven, which uses convection to cook meats and starches with moderate temperatures for an average cooking time (about an hour plus a few extra minutes). Yet another technique is braising, which combines direct dry heat charbroiling on a ribbed surface with a broth-filled pot for moist heat, cooking at various speeds throughout the duration (starting fast, slowing down, then speeding up again, lasting for a few hours). Finally, grilling is done over direct dry heat, usually over a hot fire (i.e., over 500°F) for a short time (minutes). Grilling may be done over wood, charcoal, gas (natural gas or propane), or electricity.

We had friends over for some non-parboiled ribs last night. I think they liked them

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