Live Fire Grilled Ribs Recipe

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I have shared plenty of grilled ribs recipes over the years on this blog. But they have always involved using my Traeger Pellet Grill set to low and slow. After speaking with a number of expert BBQ chefs and pitmasters, I realized the norm is to make ribs within 3-4 hours, a stark contrast to the 6+ hours I would spend on my pellet. I was curious to see how I could make ribs faster and on a live fire grill. And now I have landed on this live fire grilled ribs recipe.

The cooking set up

Years ago I was gifted a Kudu Open Fire grill. The set up works like a Santa Maria grill where you light a fire and raise the grill grate vertically as needed. It's not exactly ideal for a long cook, but I was looking to get this done in 3+ hours so I knew it would be possible. But it would not have been possible without the right fuel. I was sent some B&B Charcoal logs that burn for an extended amount of time. They took an hour to light but once it gets going, you can cook for a few hours. I added some hickory chunks for flavor and added more coal as needed to maintain a heat range between 250-350 degrees.

The cut of ribs and seasoning

I picked up some St. Louis Spare ribs from Costco. As far as seasoning, I kept it simple the way classic Central Texas Barbecue likes it; Salt, Pepper and Smoke. Make sure you use a coarse Salt and ground pepper.

Cooking time

These took less than 3 hours. One regret I had was not flipping the ribs in the rib rack. Because I had to raise and lower the grate as the heat changed, one side of the ribs was exposed to fire, leading to extra char. Another advantage to flipping is you can see how they are cooking by looking for a bend. The smaller racks were done far quicker than I imagined. I recommend flipping every 45 minutes, depending on the heat of your fire.

Not your typical BBQ sauce

A few weeks ago I visited a renowned pizza shop in Seattle and tried their famous Italian Hoagie. They had a sauce on the sandwich called Jazz sauce and I instantly became obsessed. It turns out the chef is an old high school buddy and he shared the recipe.

Jazz Sauce ingredients:

• Calabrian chiles
• pickled onion
• Castelvetrano olives
• Anchovies
• honey to taste(I used agave)
• roasted garlic(I forgot lol)

Steps:

In more or less equal parts, blend in food processor.

Why this works on a Grilled Ribs recipe

The flavor of the Jazz Sauce is akin to a spicy puttanesca minus the tomato. Lots of heat and umami and yeah, it is a God send on grilled or smoked meats. I ended up using this as a dipping sauce and it was met with wide eyed sighs of joy.

Final steps and notes on my live fire grilled ribs recipe

I pulled all the racks and wrapped them in peach paper(thinner ones sooner) and let them rest. I alternated sauces with the other racks, offering a traditional BBQ and a Thai sauce called Prik Nam. The latter will be featured in an upcoming post because it is equally as divine as the Jazz sauce. In future cooks I will be mindful to flip the racks and aim for a cooler cooking temp, maxing at 300. I was astonished at how some of the racks were close to done within the two hour mark. Ideally you have the same size racks as well and, the meatier the better. While my pellet grill delivers a more even cook, this live fire grilled recipe delivered the most smokiest, true bbq tasting ribs I have ever made. And try that jazz sauce on anything grilled meats, especially pork.

Products:

Sharing the links to the products featured in this post.

• Kudu Grill 
• BB Char Logs

The Best Food in Austin Texas: September 2025

The best food in Austin Texas for the month of September includes a lot of new openings and finds. From Korean Smash burgers to Indian street food, the best food in Austin Texas is bold, creative and perhaps not surprising, is happening in food trucks.

The Vitals: the spot: Tso Chinese Takeout or delivery only with locations throughout Austin the eats: brisket fried rice the bucks: $18.95 the full nelson: brisket meets fried rice is the collab to end all collabs

Brisket fried rice might be Austin's claim to have created their own regional Chinese cuisine. A mighty claim but that's how delicious this collab is between legendary BBQ restaurant Black's and Tso Chinese, a takeout and delivery focused Chinese restaurant This isn't the first time I've had brisket fried rice but Tso's is a front runner for the best food in Austin. The old school style brisket of Black's works well here. The smoke is there and being a leaner brisket than other BBQ places works in favor of this fried rice. Oh and it's avail for delivery too. The Vitals: the spot: Kochu 8820 Burnet Rd #502, Austin, TX 78757 the eats: Korean Smashed Burger, Wings the bucks: $-$$ the full nelson: Best Monday Burger deal in Austin What drew me to Kochu was their Monday burger special. That's the only the day they serve their double smash burger with a decidedly Korean twist: house made Kimchi on the burger. It's bold but it works. So does the price: $12. Did I mention its two 4 oz patties? Yeah, that's a half pound of smashburger. Pro Tip: grab a friend and split the wings or just come back for those. Because the wings alone are some of the best food in Austin. The Vitals: the spot: Soundra Chai 1906 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702 the eats: Chai, Indian sourced coffee, Chapli Kabab, bun(Indian Sweet bread) the bucks: $ the full nelson: It's time to stop getting Chai Latte from Starbucks Turns out there is more to Chai than what Starbucks has been showing us. Soundra Chai is a new food truck bringing Chai food culture to Austin: a town where we are starting to see exciting things happening with food from the Indian Subcontinent. You can't experience chai without food. And that can range from sweet to savory. A custom made brioche gets smeared with butter and sugar is a perfect AM chai compliment. Or try a Chapli Kabob on the same brioche bun. This Indian "burger" gets hit with with a a creamy yogurt cucumber spread, fresh arugula and a cilantro mint chutney. The only tough part is choosing when to go. But that's part of the struggle when making plans to visit some of the best food in Austin. The Vitals: the spot: Wayon J's BBQ 1917 Manor Rd, Austin, TX 78722 the eats: all the meats(brisket, turkey, bacon ribs, sausage) and a great cocktail program the bucks: $$ the full nelson: Top notch Texas BBQ with killer cocktails Just when you think Austin has hit its peak with BBQ, Waylon J's comes along. This BBQ offering is in partnership with Salty Sow, a longtime fixture in Austin's fine dining scene. This is destination BBQ with those contemporary touches like chimichurri on a beef rib or a pork rib with the pork belly attached. The biggest distinction in my mind is the cocktail program. I had a frozen old fashioned that single handedly launched my Sunday Funday. Reminds me of the Old Freedmen's which blended great Austin BBQ with another great Austin thing that starts with a "B": Bar. I'll see you there next Sunday for a new BBQ spot that easily makes the list for best food in Austin. The Vitals: the spot: Mariscos La Caretta 801 Imperial Dr, Austin, TX 78725 the eats: ceviche, Aguachile the bucks: $-$$ the full nelson: A ceviche food truck worth battling the heat for The summer months are brutal for Austin food trucks. The idea of eating outside in 100+ degree heat is a tough sell. Unless you are talking about ceviche. I had to try the Aguachile, which typically is an overwhelmingly fiery dish from Sinaloa. Maybe it is the self professed Nayarit touch, but the heat was more subdued and the dish ultimately became a more interesting rewarding experience and easily some of the best food in Austin. PS - this place is BYO so grab some beers before you come.  

Best food in Austin September Recap

• Next time you're craving takeout: Tso's Chinese for the Brisket Fried Rice collab with Black's BBQ
• Got a case of the Mondays? Go to Kochu for their Monday Korean Smashed Burger special
• Time to move on from Matcha: try Chai at Soundra Chai and don't skip the Chai essential foods like Kebab and sweet buns
• BBQ and frozen Old Fashioneds are you new Sunday Funday tradition at Waylon Js
• Taste real deal Mexican Coastal cuisine at this major food truck find at Mariscos La Carette