Memphis Style Method for Ribs - Weber
Submitted by debmapar
Memphis-style ribs method on a Weber kettle uses a dry rub, low-and-slow smoking with white oak or hickory, basting sauce, and a sweet sauce finish. Authentic Memphis BBQ technique.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
9 hrsREADY
9 hrsMemphis-style ribs follow a specific three-stage tradition that separates them from Texas, Carolina, or Kansas City styles. A spicy dry rub goes on the meat first, the ribs smoke for hours over low heat with oak or hickory, and a sweet sauce gets brushed on at the very end or served alongside. The technique guide here adapts the classic method for a Weber kettle grill, the most common backyard smoker in America.
The low temperature is everything. Memphis ribs cook at 225F (107C) for 5 to 9 hours, low enough to render the fat completely and break down the collagen into gelatin without drying out the meat. Higher temperatures might cook faster, but they produce tough, dry ribs that miss the point entirely.
The Weber adaptation uses indirect heat, where the coals sit on one side of the kettle and the ribs sit on the other, never directly over the fire. A drip pan filled with water under the ribs catches grease and adds humidity, while a boiling pot of water over the coals further controls temperature and adds moisture. This setup mimics a proper offset smoker on a budget.
The vertical rack is the secret to fitting more meat in less space. Standing ribs on edge in a rack lets the smoke circulate around each rack while taking up only a fraction of the grill surface.
Stopping the basting sauce an hour before serving is critical. Continued basting can leave a sticky, raw-tasting glaze. The dry rub forms the bark; the basting sauce keeps the meat moist; the sweet sauce finishes for flavor.
Pro Tips
- Choose white oak or hickory wood chunks (not chips) for proper Memphis smoke
- Cook on a calm day with wind under 10mph for stable temperature control
- Use chunk-style charcoal, briquettes burn unevenly and produce ash buildup
- Keep a meat thermometer handy and pull ribs at 190F (88C) internal temperature
Variations
- Apply a thick coat of Memphis dry rub (paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic) before smoking
- Use apple wood chunks for a sweeter, milder smoke profile
- Finish with Memphis sweet sauce brushed on in the last 20 minutes for a glazed finish
Ingredients
Directions
Step #1: The Memphis starts with rubbing a spicy dry marinade into the meat before cooking.
Step #2: Tending the ribs on a long, low, smokey fire, of white oak or hickory.
Basting with a second marinade, turning often on a horizontal rack, every half hour or so.
Cook over a (225F) degree, smokey fire.
Cooking could take 5 to 9 hours depending on the size of the cooker etc.
Stop using the basting sauce about an hour before serving.
Step #3: Warm the Memphis sweet sauce and either brush it on during the last 20 minutes of cooking or serve it on the side.
Weber Method; See #1 above and then cook on low indirect fire on a large weber kettle with chunk style charcoal.
Use a water filled drip pan under the ribs, a boiling pot of water over the coals.
Stand the ribs up on edge in a vertical rack, and try to cook the ribs on a calm day, (wind under 10mph).
Cook 5 to 7 hours basting often (every half hour), with the basting sauce, STOP using the basting sauce about an hour before serving.
See step #3 above for sweet sauce tips.
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