Gas grills are great if you want to barbecue tender meat like tenderloin or fish, but can be a disaster with meats that require to cooked slowly over moderate heat. However, this does not mean that you can never make delectable barbecued ribs using your gas grill; I am going to share some secret tips on how to grill ribs on gas BBQ. With these simple, easy to follow steps you will be able prepare scrumptious, juicy, and tender ribs ready to fall off the bones. Your guests will keep asking for more. On to the process:

Choose the type of ribs you want to barbecue, pork ribs, beef ribs, lamb rips; depending on where you stay you might also have a wider choice of meat. Remember that the type of ribs you choose will dice the amount of time taken to cook them. Generally speaking, baby back ribs are more tender and take less time to cook than spareribs. Make sure that the ribs are fresh and of good quality. This is absolutely prudent for getting good results. 

Before marinating the ribs, wash and pat dry the ribs. Then remove the white fatty membranes, also called as silver skin using a sharp knife. Pat dry again. 

Now mix all the dry ingredients of the BBQ rub mentioned in the recipe you are using (interesting BBQ rib recipes are available on ifood.tv) and smear it all over the rib. Massage the meat a little to work in the flavors better. 

Cover the meat in an aluminum foil or a plastic cling foil and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hrs. You might require more time for tougher ribs like spareribs. In case your recipe uses a marinade, you might have to leave the meat overnight to allow enough flavors to penetrate the meat.

Once you are done with marinating, remove from the refrigerator, unwrap, and let the ribs rest on a plate for 20 to 30 mins so that they come to room temperature. 

In the mean time get the gas grill ready. Light up the all the burners of the gas grill and let the temperature rise up a bit. Once hot enough, clean the grates using a wire brush (cleaning is easier when the grill is hot), and baste them with vegetable oil, so that the meat will not stick on to it. Now turn set all the 4 gas burners on high heat till the grill temperature reaches 200^oF but not above 225^oF (use an oven thermometer to check this). Now turn off the 2 gas burners in the middle and set the extreme 2 gas burners on medium low flame.

Place the ribs on the center part of the grill with no flame directly under the meat; this is known as indirect grilling. Allow the ribs to cook for 2 hrs or more without covering the grill vents. Best ribs are made when cooked slowly bony side down. So don’t be tempted to hasten the process by increasing the flame. The temperature of the grill should never exceed 225^oF. 

The ribs are cooked when the meat starts to separate from the bones. This is a good time to brush the ribs with some BBQ sauce. To check if the rib is properly done cut off a small chunk, it should be whitish pink and tender. 

When done remove from grill and place the ribs on a platter. Cover with a foil and allow the ribs to rest for 10 mins - this allows the juices to settle down. Cut out the ribs in desired sizes and serve with lots of BBQ sauce.

Photo credits: google.com