That’s not all the enlightening you need.
My Seconds will enlighten you in the morning, Sir!
Brick bats at fifty yards!
Yeah, you got problems. There’s a mustard sauce, that North Carolina vinegar sauce, and a ketchup-based sauce.
Ketchup?
Ketchup?
I’ve got problems?
Well, tomato.
Anybody who boils his ribs has got no damn business calling out a type of barbecue sauce as an abomination.
I didn’t want to be the first to say it but … yeah. I’m not one to insult anyone else’s BBQ (except maybe some of that Texas stuff), I would gladly eat your ribs Maus Magill, but I aways thought of boiling as a something you did when you didn’t have proper smoking equipment.
Actually, don’t knock the ketchup sauces. I like all three Carolina sauces (Eastern NC, Lexington/Western NC, and South Carolina mustard), but whenever I have parties the Lexington style (which is basically the OP’s sauce with ketchup in it), is the first to go. I also like to add a hint of clove to my pork barbecue sauces, although I only do that with ketchup or tomato-based sauces.
As for parboiling, I’m also very much against it. To each their own, but I have two problems with it: You see that water you parboiled in? You know what’s in that water? Pork flavor. You’ve just leeched out a good bit of pork goodness by parboiling, especially if you do it for a couple of hours. Ever make broth and taste the meat that’s leftover from the broth-making process? It doesn’t taste like anything. Why? Because the whole point of broth making is to extract the flavor from the meat into the liquid. Why would you do this to ribs?
Second, it turns the texture into a gelatinous texture I don’t care for. At this point, the meat basically becomes a vehicle for barbecue sauce–it doesn’t have much flavor on its own. If you like it that way, cool. A good rack of ribs needs nothing more than salt and pepper (although I will often put more in my rubs. Sometimes, though, I just go the simple salt-and-pepper rub with smoke flavor.)
There is no “secret” to making good ribs. Get a rack, salt and pepper it (and put any other spices you might like), cook it in a smoker at 200-300F until the meat shrinks and gets to your desired tenderness level. My test is to lift it up a rack by the center with tongs and when it just starts to almost break away, they’re done. They shouldn’t quite be at the point where they break apart, though. At any rate, people have different tastes for what they consider “done.” Some may like it with a little less “pull,” some with a little “more,” so see what you like. 3-5ish hours is a typical timeframe, depending on the size and type of your ribs and how hot your fire is. ETA: if you do like a particularly soft texture, you may consider foiling it for two or three hours. I don’t like soft ribs, so I don’t, but some people do, so whichever way you like it…
She did say she was doing it on a gas grill so I guess that is right. Of course that’s the method my parents used whe I was a kid and I loved them. Of course I’m from Wisconsin so what do I know about BBQ.
I have a Weber Smokey Mountain that I’ve been able to make a couple good pork shoulders and chickens on though. I need to use it more though because that stuff is just awesome!
Repeat after me:
Barbecuing is grilling.
Grilling in not barbecuing.
Indeed, I was striking out in self defense. 
The Shack barbecue sauce, a long time Little Rock mainstay, used ketchup.
But that will be our little secret, ok?
I usually rub ribs with a commercial preparation that is mostly salt, paprika and MSG and “smoke” them on a closed charcoal grill.
But that SC mustard stuff is great!
I hear somebody (probably a hippy) is working hard in a lab to perfect a “white” BBQ sauce based on Ranch Dressing.
Just remember, you heard it here first!
A is B
B is not A
That is not logical…
No kidding. A the ingredients in ketchup are in most tomato based BBQ sauces.
Yep. They’re all just various forms of very acidic sauces. To think of one type as sublime, while calling another awful, is very funny to me.
When I’m sculpting my own tomato-based BBQ sauce, I admit, that’s where I start: ketchup and apple cider vinegar. I’ve tried going the whole tomato paste route, but I really see no point to it. If you read through a lot of the classic barbecue sauce recipes, that’s where they start, too. There’s really no shame in it.
There already is a white barbecue sauce, based on mayo, that’s popular in parts of Alabama, and is usually used with chicken. Ranch is not much of a stretch from there. It’s actually surprisingly good on chicken.
Alabama beat you to it by decades. I’ll grant you it’s mayo based, not Ranch, but it’s just as disgusting.
It’s absolutely fantastic basted on smoked or grilled chicken as it’s cooked. Its basically an oil and vinegar mop sauce.
Similar to Alabama barbecue sauce, there’s Cornell barbecue sauce, made for “Cornell chicken.” There’s no prepared mayo in it, but if you look at the recipe, you’re basically making a homemade mayo. silenus knows his barbecue and grilling, but don’t listen to him on this one. It’s one of the best styles of grilled chicken I’ve ever had. I normally marinate my chicken in the sauce overnight before putting it on the grill or smoker. Done well, it is phenomenal.
You’re right on, and I totally agree with the marinade step.