The Ultimate Tailgate

Directions

1. First up, preparing the ribs. These are baby back ribs, and you don’t need to do a whole lotta trimming. Just remove the membrane, using a dull butter knife and some paper towel to grab onto that slippery thing

2. Then go ahead and season the ribs with a rub of your choice. I did one rack with Dirty Bird Hot, and another with Killer Bee Chipotle. Use whatever you like!

3. Last bit of prep you need to do right now is score the bologna. I score mine with a few lines along its length, then make a few circles around it with the knife. I know others do a spiral score or a diamond score, those all work great. Now season the outside, I did Dirty Bird Hot.

4. Finally, time for some pit action! Once the temps are holding, throw the ribs on there (bone side down), and hear them sizzle. Flip every 30 minutes, until you’ve got a nice color going, then pull from heat.

5. Wrapping the ribs in aluminum foil will help them stay juicy on the inside while they tenderize, so that’s what we’re going to do. Lay down a piece of foil, and spread some rib glaze on them. I chose my Cherry Apple Habanero glaze, and added a splash of apple juice.

6. Place the ribs on top of the glaze, with the meat side facing down. Pour some more glaze onto the bone side and wrap tightly. Now place the wrapped ribs back on the grill.

7. Once the ribs are back on, it’s time to get them wings grilled too. I suggest coating them in olive oil to keep them from sticking onto the grates. Also throw on the mini bologna to cook alongside everything else. Check on them every now and then and turn as necessary.

8. Check on the ribs after about 45 minutes. Stick a toothpick between the bones - when it goes in and out with no resistance, they are done. Let them rest for a bit off the heat.

9. Once the wings are done, toss them with your favorite wing dust - I did some Buffalo Wing and some Garlic Parm dust. Re-season the bologna as well to get some spice up in those grooves.

10. And just like that, you’re good to go! Separate the ribs, slice the bologna, and crack open a cold one - it’s the ULTIMATE tailgate - grilled ribs, wings and boligna, you just can’t go wrong with this.

11. Enjoy!