August 25, 2009

Baby Back Ribs

Most recipes require extensive cooking, wood chip techniques and smoking time for baby back ribs, but I happened to stumble upon this crazy concoction that gave me the most tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs I've ever tasted. At the beginning of the summer season, our local grocery store had a sale on rib combo packs. I was able to purchase a rack of baby ribs for under $10.00 each. I bought three, threw them in the freezer, and had planned to create an elaborate barbecue when I had time.

Long story short, my daughter's friend was visiting from out of state, and I had nothing exciting planned for dinner. I took out the frozen ribs, unwrapped them, rinsed them off in cool water, and patted them dry with paper towels.

Finding the biggest casserole dish I had, I cut them into small pieces, lovingly rubbed them with olive oil, and gave them each a dry rub massage. They were then covered with foil, and allowed to nap in the fridge for about 2 hours.

After preheating the oven to 300 degrees (yes, I cooked them indoors, it was pouring rain outside), I poured a lone bottle of Sam Adams into the casserole dish, sealed the whole deal with foil, and baked them for three hours. The slathering finale consisted of a spicy, honey BBQ sauce, and they were grilled to perfection in about 20 minutes.

I was totally surprised to find that these were the best ribs I had ever made. Give them a shot; you won't be disappointed...

Tender BBQ Baby Back Ribs

2 to 3 racks of pork, baby back ribs
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
sea salt/cracked pepper
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
3 tablespoons brown sugar
5 heaping tablespoons of Cajun spice seasoning (I used "Dinosaur BBQ" brand - web link follows)
1 bottle - beer or ale
1/4 cup honey
1 and 1/2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce

Wash ribs, and cut into small, serving size pieces. Dry with paper towels, and place in a large casserole dish. Rub each piece with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, brown sugar, minced garlic and Cajun seasoning. Cover with foil, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or longer (time permitting).

When ready to bake, pour one bottle of beer into the bottom of the casserole dish, cover again, tightly with foil, and bake in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours. Always use good quality beer too, what you taste in the bottle, is what you'll taste in your dish-
After baking time is done, preheat outdoor grill to high (discard beer and drippings). Baste ribs with honey and BBQ sauce, and grill until slightly charred, about 5 to 10 minutes on each side.

Serve while hot with crunchy coleslaw, crusty bread, your favorite sides, and plenty of napkins.
*"Foreplay" Cajun Seasoning and Slathering Sauce can be purchased at: (Dinosaur BBQ/Dino Store)

7 comments:

Pam, aka, Dessert Lady said...

I cook ribs similarly--wrapped tightly in foil; bake in the oven for 2 hours; then sauce them and grill until nicely browned. I'm sure there are barbecue loyalists out there who don't like to hear that! But, they really are delicious....and yours look scrumptious enough to pull off the page.

"Vanilla and Thyme" said...

Honestly, I've cooked them many different ways, including 6 hours smokin' on the grill, and these ribs tasted the best. They were so tender, I had a hard time taking them off the grill because they were falling apart.

CheapAppetite said...

That's interesting:) I never thought of using a bottle of beer with ribs. But now that I found your recipe, it kinda makes sense. Great idea:)

Cookie said...

YUM! I never thought of beer with ribs either but I've slow cooked a beef roast with a good bottle of Sierra Nevada and it turned out great! I can't wait to try your ribs!

Carolyn Jung said...

I'll have to show my hubby, Meat Boy, your recipe. He usually smokes his ribs outdoors. But this would be a great alternative in winter when it's way too rainy to do that outside.

"Vanilla and Thyme" said...

You can still get a "grill" taste by giving them a quick char after baking in the oven. A few wood chips would also add a smokey flavor. I think this will be the way I prepare them from now on, since they were so tender.

The Duo Dishes said...

OMG. So starving for these. It's lunchtime, and a batch of ribs would do the body good!