By Kaleigh - July 25, 2019, Updated July 22, 2021

BBQ Ribs on the Charcoal Grill

Nothing says summer like grilled BBQ ribs! These baby back ribs on the charcoal grill are simple, delicious, and sure to please a crowd with tender, fall off the bone meat and crispy charred edges.

overhead view of a rack of BBQ ribs cooked on the charcoal grill on a cutting board with pickles, onions and BBQ sauce

Coming from a long line of Texans, and having lived here my whole life, I like to think I know a thing or two about barbecue. I grew up on baby back ribs and brisket cooked all day long on a smoker during my childhood weekends spent at our family lake house.

Then I married another long-standing Texan who also loves his barbecue. In case you're confused, throwing some BBQ sauce on a piece of meat does not, in fact, make said meat 'barbecue'. Neither does cooking meat outdoors.

BBQ Ribs sliced on a cutting board with pickles and a jar of BBQ sauce.

There is a distinct difference between grilling and barbecuing.

The main difference? Time. Barbecuing is a long, slow process over low heat, producing deliciously tender, juicy meat from cuts that may be tough and dry when cooked more quickly. Grilling is reserved for chicken breasts and burgers, which are cooked over high heat for a short period of time.

Now, I understand that I am lucky to live in the great state of Texas where we know good barbecue from bad and most people have the luxury of space to hold at the very least a charcoal grill. Which is what we have in our backyard, alongside the trusty gas grill.

closeup of the end rib cut off a rack of BBQ ribs on a cutting board.

While it might be ideal to BBQ ribs in a smoker, those are a little harder to come by, even for Texans. The amount of use a smoker would get in our backyard just doesn't justify the cost or amount of space it would take up. So the charcoal grill will do just fine. And that's how we made these delicious baby back ribs.

I say 'we' because I am not the resident griller in the Table household. That job is for Mr. Table. He enjoys drinking a cold beer, manning the fire and cooking meat all day. And he's good at it. So in this case, I'm just here to prep the food and explain what's happening.

How do you make ribs on the charcoal grill?

six image collage showing steps for preparing and grilling ribs on a charcoal grill.

Start The Fire

First, you want to build a low-temperature fire on just one side of the grill. (We use our trusty Weber.) Mr. Table suggests enjoying a cold beer while doing so. Remove the grates and add charcoal, and soaked wood chunks if you'd like a more smoked flavor, to one side of the grill. On the other side, place a foil pan filled with water. This will help keep the ribs nice and moist. Replace the grates, light the fire and let the grill get to an even temperature of about 275°F. You'll need to monitor the fire and add more charcoal as needed throughout cooking to keep the temperature constant.

Prepare The Ribs

While the fire is coming to temperature, prepare your baby back ribs. I like to remove the membrane on the underside for more tender, flavorful ribs. You can remove it by sliding a butter knife underneath the membrane along the last rib until it comes free, then grab hold of it and pull it up along the entire rack. Then give your ribs a good, generous rubdown all over with my homemade BBQ spice rub.

Grill The Ribs

Place the ribs on the prepared grill on the side with the foil pan, over indirect heat. Cook for about 2 hours, rotating every 30 minutes or so to expose different edges to the hot side of the fire. After 1 ½ to 2 hours, wrap the ribs tightly in foil and place back on the grill to seal in the juices while you continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so.

Unwrap and Sauce

Finally, remove the foil. From here, you have a few options. You can go ahead and cut the ribs and serve if you've got an inpatient group. If you'd like a bit more char on the meat, return them to the fire without the foil, meat side down, for another 15-20 minutes. If you like your ribs saucy, place them back on the grill without the foil, meat side up, and brush them with barbecue sauce (like my homemade Texas BBQ sauce), 3-4 times, every 5 minutes or so to build a nice sticky layer of sauce.

When you've got your desired texture, remove the ribs, place them on a cutting board, slice with a large, sharp knife, and dig in!

closeup of the cut side of a BBQ rib on a cutting board.

Suggested Sides

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star rating in the comments!