For The Best Grilled Ribs, Cook Them At This Temperature

With a little practice, ribs on the grill can become one of your go-to summer dinners. It's worth familiarizing yourself with expert techniques for making succulent barbecue ribs. Primarily, you have to understand how long to cook them to reach an optimal internal temperature to maximize tenderness. Whether smoking or grilling, ribs need to be cooked low and slow — for the best results, don't exceed 275 degrees Fahrenheit.

"I recommend smoking ribs anywhere from 225 to 275 degrees [Fahrenheit]," Christie Vanover, champion pitmaster, certified barbecue judge, and founder of Girls Can Grill, tells Chowhound. "I tend to smoke mine at 275 degrees. It speeds the process a bit and creates a nice bark." That said, the lower end of that range is ideal if you don't want to cover your ribs while they cook. According to Vanover, smoking the meat slowly keeps it perfectly juicy, though she advises wrapping it to retain moisture if you choose to cook them around 275 degrees. There's a difference between spare ribs and baby back ribs, as well as between beef and pork ribs, which may change the way you cook them. The optimal temperature range, however, can be applied to all types of ribs whether smoked or grilled.

The biggest thing to watch out for when cooking low and slow is moisture loss. If overcooked, the ribs will become dry and lose that fall-off-the-bone texture. If you want to build moisture before the meat even hits the grill, Christie Vanover suggests injecting them with broth, which infuses moisture right into the meat. The lower temperature helps reduce the likelihood of the ribs drying out, too. "The fat renders more slowly," Vanover says. If you want them as juicy as possible, it's best to wrap the ribs before they hit the grill. "Wrap them with foil with liquid or butter after they get a nice bark. During the wrap, they'll braise in the liquid, making them juicier," Vanover explains.

If you have leftovers, make sure to reheat the ribs properly to ensure they're just as juicy as when you first cooked them. Heat them first in a pan with a small amount of water, which will steam them as it warms them through. Then, to retain that crispy exterior, quickly sear them in a dry pan or heat them in an air fryer to keep the bark intact on the outside.