>Grilling barbecue spare ribs takes lots of charcoal, wood, and patience. But the final result makes everything worthwhile. Here’s a look at several methods to grilling barbecue spare ribs successfully:

1. Grilling barbecue spare ribs the old-fashioned way – Perhaps the most painstaking method, this way nevertheless produces the most succulent, mouthwatering spare ribs. Build a charcoal fire (with a generous helping of hickory or mesquite wood added) at one side of your barbecue grill setup. Leaving top off or open all the way, let fire burn for 15 to 20 minutes. Once flames have died down and coals are glowing nicely, place the ribs directly over the fire for 10 to 15 minutes per side. The goal being to “brown” them – giving a nice, crispy surface texture, but being careful to not burn them.

When grilling barbecue spare ribs in this fashion (or using any other method, for that matter), do not leave! Most charred, burnt offerings originally intended to be juicy, tender spare ribs get that way by leaving your post. Once the ribs achieve the desired brownness and obligatory grill marks, move them to the end or side of your grill setup opposite the heat source. Open all vents halfway, close top, and allow yourself a few minutes to go crack open a beer and relax in a lawn chair for awhile. BUT DON’T LEAVE!

2. To take a shortcut when grilling barbecue ribs, first place them (raw) in a pan large enough to accommodate them. Cover with foil and cook in oven at 350 degrees for one hour. This precooks the meat and all you need do now is go ahead with grilling as mentioned above.

3. Another shortcut to grilling barbecue ribs is to parboil them first. Similar to Number 2 method above, you’re simmering the ribs in water for an hour instead of cooking them in the oven. Drawbacks? Your meat absorbs the water and is slipperier and messier to handle.

The final step to grilling barbecue spare ribs applies to all three methods: Avoid ruining everything by smearing barbecue sauce on your meat while it’s cooking. True barbecue purists know that sauce gets served on the side AFTER the ribs are cooked.

Now for the best part about grilling barbecue spare ribs: Grab a plate, add some potato salad and beans – and go chow down!