Beef or Pork

• Restaurants know how different types of ribs should be cooked for tenderness and flavor. Cuts such as baby back ribs are tender and don't require brining or slow cooking, while tougher cuts such as pork country-style ribs and pork ribs do benefit from slow cooking or braising. Beef ribs do best with parboiling for an hour in barely enough water to cover the ribs or slow cooking in a slow oven for several hours and then grilling.

The Secret Is In the Rub

• Restaurants season their ribs with a proprietary rub from 8 to 24 hours before baking or grilling. The seasoning permeates the meat as it rests in the refrigerator and during the cooking process. Seasonings could include brown sugar, freshly ground coffee, garlic and onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, paprika, cumin and herbs such as basil, thyme or rosemary. Press the rub onto the ribs and wrap in plastic wrap.

To Baste or Not to Baste

• If you baste, don't bother with a rub, because the basting liquid will wipe the rub off. The basting liquid, sometimes called a mop, usually is a seasoned vinegar-based liquid, but you could use orange or lime juice, as well. The basting liquid is thinner than a barbecue sauce. A pastry brush or barbecue brush gets the basting liquid into every nook and cranny so the meat tenderizes and stays moist as it cooks. Restaurants often marinate the ribs in the basting liquid overnight. Reserve about half of the liquid for when you grill the ribs. Baste often -- about every 15 minutes.

Keep It Low and Slow

• Restaurants aren't in a hurry when preparing ribs, so you shouldn't be, either. Start the ribs in a slow oven -- 300 degrees Fahrenheit -- and bake covered with foil for 2 to 3 hours. Finish off on a medium-hot grill -- you should be able to hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 4 to 5 seconds before you have to remove it. The grill caramelizes the rub, mob or sauce. Smoked ribs take from 12 to 18 hours to prepare and might be doable for the home cook only for special occasions. You don't need a smokehouse or a commercial size smoker for these ribs like a restaurant would use, but you do need a grill with a cover. Fire up the wood in batches to keep the temperature in the grill between 225 and 250 F.

Sauce On or Beside?

• A debate rages among rib connoisseurs, including restaurants, about whether ribs should be sauced as they cook, after they're cooked or not at all. The choice is yours. One nationwide chain of restaurants serves naked ribs with a selection of three different sauces on the side: one mildly hot, one tangy and sweet and one spicy hot.