We all know that rubbing sticks together gets you fire, but what happens when you rub ribs? You get magic! I've never attempted to make ribs - something about their preparation always seemed a little daunting to me. Maybe I just figured that they were dad's domain. Whatever the reason, it's always been something that I wanted to prepare, but never took the time to figure out.
I think it was the celebration of our country's independence, and the subsequent smell of smoke in the air that inspired this weekend's cookout. I also found a long-lost issue of Bon Appetit magazine lying around with ribs on the cover. It was kitchen karma. The best part about the article in this particular issue was the fact that the preparer used the oven to kick off the process. The oven isn't scary! I could do this! So I heated up the oven and thought about what I liked about ribs - the mess, the spice, the texture. After a few minutes (and a whole lot of seasonings laid out on the counter) I prepped what I deemed a "great rub". I knew I would slather the ribs in barbecue sauce, so I went for extra spicy. After they were prepped and cooked I realized how easy it was (and fool proof). Any variation of the rub could've worked as long as there was balance. Here's my rub recipe and the technique I used for an awesome result. How do you like your ribs?
Baby back pork ribs
Ingredients
pork baby back rib rack, 3-3.5 lbs
1 TBS cayenne pepper
1 TBS black pepper
1 TBS brown sugar (add more sugar & reduce the pepper for a more family-friendly rub)
1/2 TBS smoked paprika
2 TBS sea salt
pinch of all spice (get creative, try ginger or an herb for a different flavor)
1/2 c barbecue sauce (I added a little fig syrup to sweeten it and aid in caramelization)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400º and prepare ribs by removing the membrane, but leave the fat intact, on the bottom of the rack
- Combine spices and pat on both sides of the rib rack
- Wrap in foil tightly and place on the middle rack
- Cook for an hour & 15 min in the oven, at the hour mark preheat the grill to 350º
- Remove ribs from oven and baste liberally with barbecue sauce
- Once the grill reaches temperature add the ribs and cook for 20 minutes, turning halfway through to caramelize all the sugars, continue to baste while cooking
- Remove from heat and allow to cool thoroughly before cutting and serving