In Memphis, Tennessee, barbecue lovers debate which type of pork ribs are best—”wet” ribs or “dry” ribs. Wet ribs are what most of us think of as barbecued ribs: Apply a favorite rub, smoke “low and slow” for 4-6 hours, and baste with barbecue sauce toward the end of cooking. Dry ribs, on the other hand, are grilled hot and fast, basted with a vinegar-based mop, and sprinkled with rub after cooking—not before. Sauce? It’s served on the side.
Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous in Memphis has been serving up their famous dry ribs since 1948, and they’ve shared the recipe and cooking technique on television and the Internet.
Here are some pictures I took on February 9, 2003 when I prepared dry pork loin back ribs by adapting The Rendezvous’ method to the Weber Bullet.
I purchased two slabs of pork loin back ribs weighing about 2 pounds each. I removed the membrane from each slab and trimmed off any large areas of surface fat per the instructions on the Pork Loin Back Rib Preparation page.
I decided to do one slab “dry” and the other “wet”. For the dry slab, there was no further prep. For the wet slab, I applied a generous sprinkling of Harris Ranch Barbecue Spice. Both slabs were refrigerated until just before they went into the cooker.
The dry ribs just have a dry rub on them. The wet has BBQ sauce on them. The muddy is the wet BBQ sauce and dry bbq rub mixed together.
Preparing The Rub And Mop
The Rendezvous Seasoning Rub recipe is listed below. If you pick up a jar of the retail version of Rendezvous rub, you’ll notice it contains MSG. So if you want that “authentic” Rendezvous flavor, add 1/4 teaspoon of Accent to this recipe.
Rendezvous Seasoning Rub
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/4 cup ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon granulated garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 Tablespoon ground celery seed
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.
At The Rendezvous, the basting mixture is kept in a container near the grill where it’s warmed by the charcoal fire. You can warm the mop on the stove or in the microwave before applying it to the ribs.
Rendezvous Basting Mop
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 4 tsp Rendezvous Seasoning Rub
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Warm before applying to ribs.
Sauce on your slab also offers a sense of individuality that dry ribs cant match. No one can tell you how to eat your ribs. You have the ability to personalize your meal, the power to manipulate the taste that can range from tangy to sweet to spicy with as much or as little sauce as you need.
The gold standard for rub comes from the venerable Rendezvous. Some salt, garlic powder, oregano, paprika . . . makes my taste buds dance just writing the words. And heres a tip: It tastes great on popcorn. Just keep it away from your scrambled eggs.
There are some things in life that are just better wet than dry: Slip N Slides, for example. Shaving comes to mind (as anyone who has ever suffered through a dry shave can attest), and yes, pork barbecue. I want sauce on my slow-cooked, Memphis-style, baby-back barbecue ribs, and let me tell you why.
Wet rib detractors claim that any grilling novice can slap enough sauce on a rib to make it taste good. Not true. Cooking wet ribs entails a long process of slow cooking and proper basting. The sauce must complement the meat, a tangy Bert to the ribs Ernie. A good barbecue sauce is a delicacy, and fortunately for those in these parts, not a rare commodity.
Wet can be good. For flowers, goldfish, bathing suits. But not my barbecue ribs. In the good name of every smoked Porky — past, present, and future — save the sauce for your baked beans.
In the Most Epic Battle of BBQ Ribs, Who Wins…Wet or Dry? | Food Wars
FAQ
Is it better to dry ribs or wet ribs?
What does dry ribs mean?
What is the difference between wet and dry BBQ?
Are Memphis ribs wet or dry?
What is the difference between wet and dry barbecue?
At his restaurant, dry barbecue is smoked, while the wet variety is cooked in a hickory fire pit. Barbecue preference is largely dictated by whether you like saucy or seasoned meat, as well as the cut of meat you favor. The pig’s shoulder is typically used for wet barbecue, while the ribs are reserved for the dry kind.
Is wet rub good for ribs?
This spicy and sweet wet rub is incredible on ribs; it is great on pork chops and chicken too.
But there’s a reason why dry rub has so many barbecue loyalists—it’s the preference for purists who are more focused on the quality and texture of the meat than any accoutrements. It takes real skill to pull off.
Can you cook ribs wet?
Not true. Cooking wet ribs entails a long process of slow cooking and proper basting. The sauce must complement the meat, a tangy Bert to the ribs’ Ernie. A good barbecue sauce is a delicacy, and fortunately for those in these parts, not a rare commodity. So, by all means, don’t be afraid to ask for your ribs wet.
What’s better wet or dry?
There are some things in life that are just better wet than dry: Slip N’ Slides, for example. Shaving comes to mind (as anyone who has ever suffered through a dry shave can attest), and yes, pork barbecue. I want sauce on my slow-cooked, Memphis-style, baby-back barbecue ribs, and let me tell you why.