Takeo Spikes’ Ribs on the Big Green Egg

Takeo Spikes, former NFL linebacker, appears regularly as a host on SiriusXM NFL radio. Spikes is also a professional photographer and is currently developing a book profiling Hall of Fame NFL players.

He loves to cook and support causes close to his heart, especially youth development and cancer prevention. Check out Takeo Spikes’ Ribs – just delicious!

Ingredients

Ribs
Your favorite BBQ Rub
Yellow mustard
Apple juice

Instructions

Take ribs out of the fridge and begin prep work. This takes about 30 minutes to an hour.

Remove the membrane, which is a thick plastic-like skin over the boney part of the ribs. Removing this allows the smoke to penetrate the meat better. Pry up on the membrane using a knife or other sharp utensil. Then grab the membrane with a paper towel and pull it clean off.

Apply a light coating of yellow hot dog mustard to the bony side of the ribs to help the rub to stick real good. Once the bony or bottom side of the ribs are coated with mustard and rub, flip them over and do the same with the top side…light coat of mustard then sprinkle on the rub. Not too thick but enough to cover the ribs real good. Once the ribs are coated on both sides with rub and mustard, leave them there to go get the EGG ready.

Make sure you have plenty of lump charcoal in the fire bowl. It’s good to have it up to the top of the bowl, which is an inch or two above the air holes. Place the convEGGtor in place with the legs facing up then place the grate on top of that. If you are worried about the drippings on your convEGGtor, you can place a drip pan on it or some foil which can be easily thrown away when you’re finished cooking.

After the coals have been burning for about seven minutes, close the dome and leave the bottom and top vents all the way open until the EGG reaches about 230°F/110°C. While the Big Green Egg is heating up, go ahead and get the ribs and place them on the grate bone side down.

Once the EGG reaches 230°F/110°C, adjust the vent at the bottom and the top to hold this temperature. Have the daisy wheel at the top only slightly cracked open at about 20% open and the bottom vent is open about ¾ of an inch or so.

This is where the 2-2-1 method of making the ribs tender really starts. Start a timer or just make note of the time because the ribs will only stay in this current configuration for 2 hours.

Once two hours are up, the ribs should be wrapped in heavy duty foil or an easier method is to place them in a large foil pan with foil covering the top tightly. Then place back on the EGG. Some folks put (only a little) apple juice down in the pan to create more steam and flavors. It is this steaming action that super tenderizes the ribs.

This is the 2nd step in the 2-2-1 method and lasts 2 hours, just like the first step. After two hours have expired with the ribs in foil or in the covered pan, remove them from the pan or foil and place them once again directly on the grates for 1 hour.

When they come out of the foil or pan, they look wet and there is no crust to speak of. The last hour on the grates dries the top a little and develops the crust on the outside that is usually desired. This is the last step and when the hour is up, the ribs are ready to slice and eat.

Pull them off at 185-190°F/85-87°C internal temp in between the bones.

Recipe and photo from Big Green Egg.