Saucing / Glazing The Ribs

You pretty much nailed the process as far as I'm concerned. I sometimes/usually finish on the grill, but seeing how your grill is only days away from being buried under feet of snow and ice until next June, the broiler is your best bet.

As to thickness of sauce, the thicker it is the faster you'll build up a glaze, but other than that it's just a matter of your personal taste. You can thicken the sauce with xantham gum to help it adhere. You can get that at Whole Foods.

You're on the right track.

Well, thin sauce is glazing

Thick sauce is saucing.

Depends on the sauce, what it tastes like.

For ME, saucing is too think and will overpower the flavor. Now, that being said, if you're a fan of wet ribs and prefer sauce over rub, then a thicker sauce is what you want.

IF you're like me and put a good rub on your ribs, you don't want a sauce to overpower/kill the rub and the glaze is what you want.

IMO, if you have a good rub on your ribs and do them well you don't need a sauce or glaze!!

I agree with tigerfan, but a good sauce or glaze is nice sometimes. Always go back to the ribs with a good rub, but try the glaze sometimes. Variety being the spice of life. When doing ribs for friends, they get them dry with sauce on the side.

I've got a few favorite wineries and also enjoy visiting others. I love pastrami sandwiches but also like baloney once in awhile. I'm a Bear fan but enjoy watching the Colts or the Vikings(now). Would never take the latter over the prior, however, enjoy the change. But that's me.

I lightly glaze mine just so the extra dry rub I add will have something to stick to. Plus I think the shiny glaze looks nice.

Now that's another good idea.

Pags;
Agree, variety is the spice of life!! A change every once in a while isn't bad. I too serve my friends dry ribs with sauce on the side.A light glaze does make them look good! Out of habit just keep going back to what got me here....basics!!

As long as we are thinking about rubs/sauces/glazes that COMPLIMENT our cooking method and each other.

A thick, heavy flavored,salted sauce,and salty rub,on top of Hormel salt injected ribs might not work.

But,we have forum members that have been top winners with Hormel injected ribs.

Maybe,it is balance?

Tigerfan is not too far from Memphis,where they were famous for direct grilling "babybacks" high over 300* charcoal.

They dumped their dill pickle juice into the vinegar,they mixed with water and mopped the slabs with.

When the very dry feeling slabs came off the slow charcoal,they dusted them well with a combo Greek seasoning,chile powder rub.

You also got a small cup of rub at your table.

NO sauce,but they have been a tradition for about 75 yrs.

I've had good luck with Fast Eddie's method of glazing with mixture of 18oz sauce, (he uses KC Masterpiece; I use Cookshack Spicey), 8oz purified water, 4oz honey.

I want the rub and glaze/sauce to complement the ribs, not be the main attraction.

I'm with you tigerfan. The basics with our smokers work very well. A good rub with smoked ribs is hard to beat, but every once in awhile I add a glaze from the grill.

I like basics but also need a little variety. Hmmmm. Go figure. I've been married to the same woman for 39 yrs.

That's not a bad idea. Next time I smoke some ribs I will glaze two slabs and leave the other one dry.

I do like how they taste when they are dry and when I glaze them too.

In the last hour or so of cooking, I generally brush on a mixture of Sweet Baby Rays cut very thin with apple juice. I'll do this a couple of times before I remove the ribs. I like this because I generally have a hotter, peppery rub, and I like the contrast this gives to the flavors... kinda rounds things out nicely.

I have a SMO25 and did 3 slabs of Sam's pork loin ribs (6.79 lbs) yesterday for 3 hours 45 minutes @ 225. I used my own dry rub. I thought they were perfect as is but I had read this glazing approach last week. I sauced and broiled 3 times with some thick sweet OTC BBQ sauce. It was like candy and would do it again.

Has anyone tried this approach with chicken? Sam's has some large skinless breasts that we smoke @ 225 and pull @ 160. They come out great but think this glazing approach would give them some great color.

Thanks!