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hen I was a kid, “summertime” was just another way of saying “ribs.” Whenever we had a party, my dad would buy racks and racks of ribs—a hilarious amount, really—and throw them on the grill. (We always joked that he didn’t know how to cook for fewer than 20 people.)

More recently, though, I’ve decided to look beyond the quick-and-dirty grilled ribs of my father and explore more traditional slow-cooked barbecue. Fortunately, we have no shortage of recipes to choose from, whether you’ve got the equipment and time for true low-and-slow smoking, or simply an oven and a powerful desire for tender meat with a crusty bark. This collection of 11 recipes includes iconic regional barbecue styles from Memphis and Kansas City, Cajun- and Chinese-inspired versions, and sous vide and oven-baked ribs that turn out as smoky as anything cooked over wood—honest. In short, there’s something for everyone’s Labor Day cookout.