Baby Back Ribs

Today I'm making Baby Back Ribs for the family. I used to be afraid to try these, but I've found that I really can cook them with success. I also made them over the Fourth of July holiday, and they were a hit with the family then. My brother-in-law Henry is the expert, so everything I know about ribs I learned from him.

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Start with choosing the ribs. I got a large pack with three sides. The weight of this package was about 9 1/2 pounds.

Prepare the ribs by removing the membrane from the bone side of the rib slab. This is easier than it sounds. Just take a knife to get it started at one corner, then pull. It comes off without difficulty once it is started.

I then cut the racks in half to make them easier to handle.

The next step is to make a dry rub for the ribs. Mix equal parts of brown sugar and a dry barbecue seasoning  rub.

I used one cup of brown sugar and one cup of Strawberry's Grand Champion Seasoning. Henry likes to use Famous Dave's Rib Rub mixed with his brown sugar, but I can't buy that brand in my little town. I'll have to look for it in a larger grocery store.

Mix the brown sugar and seasoning together.

Liberally coat the the ribs with this mixture on both sides.

This can be done the night before if you want to let them marinate in the rub all night, or they can be rubbed down right before they are cooked. I rubbed mine down this morning right before they went into the oven.

After the ribs are all rubbed, wrap them tightly in heavy aluminum foil and place in a roasting pan.

Place pan in a preheated 300 degree F oven for approximately  4 to 5 hours, or until the meat is tender and starts to pull back from the ends of the rib bones.

Mine cooked today for 4 1/2 hours.

Remove from oven and let the ribs cool down a bit.

Now we're going to add some barbecue sauce.

Use your favorite brand. This is the brand Henry recommends, and it's the best that I have tried.

After the ribs have cooled down some, brush on a coating of the sauce.

Landon was in charge of brushing on the sauce. I kept the ribs turned while he brushed on both sides. We also transferred them to a new pan at this point to get them up out of the liquid that had cooked out.

You can now either return them to the oven for a short while to heat back up, or put them on the grill if you prefer. They just can't be left on the grill very long without burning the sauce.  It was 100 degrees outside today with a heat index of 110, so I just put mine back in the oven and skipped the grill part.

Remove from the oven and separate into sections of 2 or 3 ribs before serving.

My family loves these ribs!




Shared with:
Food on Friday - Marinades and Rubs
Cozy Home Scenes Grill, BBQ and Picnic Party
Jam Hands 
Beyer Beware Hunk of Meat Monday
The Shady Porch Rock and Share 
Countdown to 2012

Today I'm making Baby Back Ribs for the family. I used to be afraid to try these, but I've found that I really can cook them with success. I also made them over the Fourth of July holiday, and they were a hit with the family then. My brother-in-law Henry is the expert, so everything I know about ribs I learned from him.

Print Recipe

Start with choosing the ribs. I got a large pack with three sides. The weight of this package was about 9 1/2 pounds.

Prepare the ribs by removing the membrane from the bone side of the rib slab. This is easier than it sounds. Just take a knife to get it started at one corner, then pull. It comes off without difficulty once it is started.

I then cut the racks in half to make them easier to handle.

The next step is to make a dry rub for the ribs. Mix equal parts of brown sugar and a dry barbecue seasoning  rub.

I used one cup of brown sugar and one cup of Strawberry's Grand Champion Seasoning. Henry likes to use Famous Dave's Rib Rub mixed with his brown sugar, but I can't buy that brand in my little town. I'll have to look for it in a larger grocery store.

Mix the brown sugar and seasoning together.

Liberally coat the the ribs with this mixture on both sides.

This can be done the night before if you want to let them marinate in the rub all night, or they can be rubbed down right before they are cooked. I rubbed mine down this morning right before they went into the oven.

After the ribs are all rubbed, wrap them tightly in heavy aluminum foil and place in a roasting pan.

Place pan in a preheated 300 degree F oven for approximately  4 to 5 hours, or until the meat is tender and starts to pull back from the ends of the rib bones.

Mine cooked today for 4 1/2 hours.

Remove from oven and let the ribs cool down a bit.

Now we're going to add some barbecue sauce.

Use your favorite brand. This is the brand Henry recommends, and it's the best that I have tried.

After the ribs have cooled down some, brush on a coating of the sauce.

Landon was in charge of brushing on the sauce. I kept the ribs turned while he brushed on both sides. We also transferred them to a new pan at this point to get them up out of the liquid that had cooked out.

You can now either return them to the oven for a short while to heat back up, or put them on the grill if you prefer. They just can't be left on the grill very long without burning the sauce.  It was 100 degrees outside today with a heat index of 110, so I just put mine back in the oven and skipped the grill part.

Remove from the oven and separate into sections of 2 or 3 ribs before serving.

My family loves these ribs!




Shared with:
Food on Friday - Marinades and Rubs
Cozy Home Scenes Grill, BBQ and Picnic Party
Jam Hands 
Beyer Beware Hunk of Meat Monday
The Shady Porch Rock and Share 
Countdown to 2012