Recipes: Wet and Dry Barbecued Ribs

Aug. 15 -- In Memphis, it's been a long-running debate. Are wet ribs tastier than dry ribs?

Decide for yourself, with these two recipes from two famous Memphis rib joints, Neely's Bar-B-Que Restaurant and Charlie Vergos Rendezvous restaurant.

Ingredients For Neely's Wet BBQ Ribs

• 32 ounces ketchup • 16 ounces water • 6 ounces brown sugar • 6 ounces white sugar • 1 Tablespoon black pepper • 1 Tablespoon onion powder • 1 Tablespoon ground mustard • 2 ounces Neely's Seasoning (see recipe below) • 2 ounces lemon juice • 2 ounces Worcestershire • 8 ounces apple-cider vinegar • 2 ounces corn syrup • 3 to 4 pound Spare Rib

Neely's Seasoning

Mix the following ingredients:

• 4 ounces paprika • 2 ounces white sugar • 1 teaspoon onion powder

Directions For Neely's Wet BBQ Ribs

1. Combine sauce ingredients in a stockpot, cook at a high temperature and bring to a boil and stir to prevent sticking.

2. Lower temperature and simmer without cover for at lease 30 minutes.

3. Trim a 3 to 4 pound spare rib (remove the upper brisket bone and any other excess; this will produce a St. Louis style rib)

4. Rinse and season rib with Neely's seasoning, then refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours.

5. We recommend that ribs are cooked on an indirect barbecue pit to prevent burning. The ideal temperature is 250 degrees for the first three hours, and 300 degrees for the final three hours.

6. Load ribs curl side up, so the juices will maintain their moisture. After three hours, turn ribs and increase temperature. Baste ribs with Neely's barbecue sauce during the last 30 minutes of cooking so sauce will not burn.

Recipe courtesy of Patrick Neely of Neely's Bar-B-Que Restaurant in Memphis, Tenn. Copyright 2002.

World Famous Rendezvous Dry BBQ Ribs

Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients: