How To Cook Perfect Oklahoma BBQ Ribs

Not too long ago I mentioned how I would like to learn how to smoke meats in my own backyard. My buddies like to jest how it's just a trait of my growing age, but I've gotten a taste for ribs in the last six months, and $25 per rack is getting expensive.

While I'm not convinced learning to smoke ribs yourself is in any way cheaper, at least I'd be able to toss em on at lunch and have some after work for dinner. At least that's a thought.

I'm pretty lucky in the sense that when I mentioned I was going to buy a smoker to my sister, she told me I could have her old one. It's small but relatively new. It also works with pellets.

I know, I know... BBQ purists talk endlessly about how pellet-smoking isn't real smoking, but free is my favorite thing. Set-it-and-forget-it type things are my second favorite.

I've watched an endless stream of BBQ videos online and come to one conclusion. Simple has to be the best.

The one universal fact in the world of BBQ is also this, Franklin BBQ in Austin, Texas makes up the undisputed "best BBQ in the world." Even better, the owner has no reservations about sharing his world-renowned methods with us all.

Arron Franklin is the owner and smoker of Franklin BBQ in Austin, it's shocking how much emphasis he puts on the simple things. A little salt, little pepper, and oddly enough, he smokes with oak. That's odd because mesquite and hickory are the traditional woods, but we'll indulge. He makes the best BBQ in the world, he can't be wrong.

Much like all BBQ, real ribs aren't basted in sauce or drenched in vinegar. That's just other states' attempts at being BBQ, and their failures are the things that stoke Oklahoma and Texas fireboxes.

Follow the directions, take the advice, and while you'll probably ruin one or two racks while learning, it'll be worth mastering in the end.

If you do end up needing a sauce, stick with the Oklahoma original Head Country Hickory. It's quite literally the best BBQ sauce in the world.

BONUS: You get double man-points if you bust out the giant beef ribs.

Oklahoma's Highest-Rated Barbeque Joints, In No Particular Order...

I doubt there's a single topic debated more passionately in Oklahoma than who makes the best BBQ. While they all smoke meat, there are some huge differences in how that process is done. Type of wood, length of cook, foil vs paper wrap, and even the hot topics of seasoning and binders come into play. What you like others may not, and vice versa. Since we can't just pick a top five or ten, here are the Oklahoma barbeque joints that have the biggest fans.

Oklahoma's Best Motorcycle Road Trips

Since motorcycling is practically a year-round thing in Oklahoma, anytime is a good time to start planning your next road trip. Whether you're getting the moto-bros together for the ride, or packing up your significant other for a little two-wheel therapy, here are the best motorcycle road trips inside the Sooner State.

Oklahoma's Dust Bowl & Depression Era Desserts You Should Try Today

If you're not up on your Oklahoma history, drought struck the region around the same time America's great economic collapse happened. We know it as the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression.

While thousands of Okies left to become Californians, those that stayed did as best they could to lift spirits in a time of overbearing adversary. They say the key to contentment is a full belly, and Oklahoma's pioneer women came up with some really strange recipes to please the palate.

Treat yourself and make one or more of these over the next few months.

Categories: Food, Oklahoma News, Videos