Pork or Beef

• BBQ ribs are made from pork and beef. Pork ribs are, for the most part, more tender than beef ribs. There is also more meat to bone than beef ribs. If you're short on time and don't have hours to tenderize the beef ribs through slow cooking, parboil the ribs in a minimum amount of water for 60 minutes. You'll lose a little flavor but gain some time.

Short or Long

• Baby back ribs mean a rack of ribs from a pig that is of commercial weight rather than a full grown sow. The ribcage contains 15 to 16 ribs. However, sometimes one or two ribs are left on the shoulder, and a rib or two may be damaged and removed. A pork rib rack contains at least 10 ribs. Beef ribs are bigger and bonier which is to be expected when you compare the size of cattle to pigs. The rack is cut into sections of five to six ribs for easier grilling. Whole racks of beef are rarely commercially sold. Short ribs are chunks of the ribs cut into portions that are 4 inches to 8 inches in length. They're cut across the ribcage rather than along it.

Marinades and Rubs

• Ribs benefit from being soaked in a marinade or being massaged with a dry rub. You can do both, but always do wet before dry. Marinade the meat in a solution of one part apple juice to one part apple cider vinegar. Add in your favorite herbs, a chopped onion and some garlic cloves. Immerse the ribs and put in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Remove and pat dry, then apply the rub, pushing it into the meat. Let the ribs come to room temperature before grilling. Grill over low heat. Long and slow means tender and juicy ribs. Rubs are made from paprika, ground pepper, sugar, dried herbs, dried onions, dried garlic and other spices.

Sauces

• Controversy abounds as to whether the ribs -- not the chef -- should be sauced or not. Sauce proponents say that basting the ribs with sauce every 30 minutes or so, gets the flavor of the sauce deep into the meat, keeping the meat moist and tender. Dry rib fanatics say that sauce just covers up the rich, smoked flavor of grilled ribs. If the ribs are cooked properly they'll stay moist and tender on their own. Sauces are made from tomato juice, vinegar, fruit jams and jellies, brown sugar, molasses, onions, fruit juices, garlic, soy sauce, mustard and hot peppers.