Grilled Pork Ribs and Potatoes

Friday, February 21, 2025 found me home alone and looking for something delicious for dinner. Simple thing... just load in some oak wood chips and chunks, fire up the grill, and enjoy delicious smoky grilled pork ribs for tonight's dinner!

Photo: I NEVER use lighter fluid to get my charcoal or wood fire going, as I prefer a chimney starter. It's natural, it doesn't leave any unpleasant taste, and it's a great way to fine a useful purpose for grocery ads and other newspaper ads, that arrive in my mailbox as junk mail.

I let the wood and charcoal really get going before I empty it from the chimney and put it in the grill. The flames are high in the photo and it's time to place this in the grill and get the party started.

Photo: After placing the flaming oak and charcoal into the bottom of the grill, I covered it and waited around 10 minutes for the grill to heat up, and get some great smoke going.

Oak wood grows everywhere in western Placer County, and in Roseville, and everywhere you look, it's just laying around, so you simply have to gather it up, bring it home, cut it to size and you're in the barbecue business. Oak is very similar to hickory, so any recipe that asks for hickory... oak wood will work just fine.

I think the food tastes better when you put some effort into gathering the wood, as it's a lot of fun, good exercise, and "old school" any way you look at it.

Photo: Pork ribs, Mexican corn, Russet potato, mushrooms and a jalapeno pepper cooking on the grill. The food is just about ready to take off the grill, as it's smoking over indirect heat.

The ribs were just simple pork ribs that I purchased on sale, and had been cluttering up the freezer for a couple months before I decided to use them. I didn't even bother to marinate them, as I simply rubbed them with Pappy's Blue Label Seasoning, which made "semi-local" in Fresno, CA, and is my go-to seasoning for practically everything. After the ribs had seared, I moved them over to indirect heat, brushed them with barbecue sauce, and allowed them, along with everything else to take in the smoke for fifteen minutes or so. Of course the grill was covered!

Photo: I open the grill and smile, as my Friday dinner is almost ready to enjoy. I'd already brushed the ribs with barbecue sauce and moved them over to indirect heat. Since most barbecue sauce contains ample sugar, you need to be watchful that your food doesn't burn... that's the beauty of setting up your grill with direct and indirect heat.

Photo: Tonight's Friday evening dinner with juicy, tender grilled pork ribs, potato wedges, Mexican corn, mushrooms, and a jalapeno pepper to spice up the dinner. The ribs have been lightly brushed with barbecue sauce, and there was a cup of it on the side for dipping, Texas style.