Currently my house is getting buried under a foot of snow and I am contentedly sipping my coffee and dreaming about summer days spent by my grill. (Because honestly, is there anything better? I think not!)
I have always been intimidated by BBQ. I think my intimidation came from two places: One, low and slow cooking takes all day and I was clueless as to if my final product would be good. And two, BBQ people? Well BBQ is like a religion with a lot of conflicting beliefs and passionate members who are very good as setting things on fire. I feel like my trepidation is understandable.
But summer of 2020 when there was actually NOTHING to do, I went and bought a grill and some Baby Back Ribs. And man-oh-man, I am glad I did. These dry rubbed and BBQ glazed Ribs are pure-meat-popsicle perfection.
What You Will Need:
2 Racks Baby Back Ribs
Spice Mix:
1/2 cup McCormick Sweet and Smoky Spice Rub
2 Tbs ground cumin
2 Tbs garlic powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
Or 100% Homemade Spice Rub:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1 Tbs black pepper
1 Tbs salt
1 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs onion powder
1 Tbs ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Sauce:
1 cup Sweet Baby Rays Original BBQ Sauce
This recipe is so easy it just requires time and a little bit of planning ahead. The day before you want to eat your ribs, take the ribs out of their packaging, dry with paper towels, and then place them on a cookie sheet. In a small bowl, mix together your spice rub. I have made these ribs using both spice rub methods and they are honestly equally delicious. But I will go on record and say that McCormick’s spice mixes of all kinds are such a handy “cheat”, I have no problem admitting to using on the regular. Pour the spice mix all over the top and bottom of ribs and then using your hands firmly press the spices into the meat. (We don’t want any of that love to fall off and be wasted.) Cover ribs with Saran Wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Ok, now... it’s the much anticipated rib eating day! First thing to do is get your grill ready. We are going to be cooking with indirect heat over a two and a half hour period.
Gas Grill:
Light the two outside burners and turn to their lowest setting. Leave the middle burners off. This will automatically set your heat at 250 degrees. Allow the grill to heat up and monitor for a few minutes to make sure the heat is stable at that 250 temperature. (During the cooking process you do not want the temperature to ever go over 300 degrees.) Cover the middle of the grill with foil and then add the ribs. The foil needs to be long enough that no part of the ribs are directly on the grill racks.
Charcoal Grill:
Remove the grates and add charcoal to one side of the grill. Replace the grates, light the fire and let the grill get to an even temperature of about 250 degrees. You'll need to monitor the fire and add more charcoal as needed throughout cooking to keep the temperature constant. Once again, cover the cool side of the grill with foil and place on the ribs.
Close the grill and set a timer for two and a half hours. DO NOT OPEN THE GRILL FOR THE ENTIRE 150 MINUTES. But you can, every half hour or so, swing by and check that the temperature is stable. And if you HAVE to, open the charcoal grill quickly to add more fire.
When the timer is up, open the grill and remove the foil from under the Ribs. Slather on the Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce and turn all burners up to high or move the ribs over to the hot side of the grill. Cook on high heat for 10 to 15 minutes and the ribs will get that beautiful charred and caramelized outside we all crave.
Remove ribs from heat and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Remember, unlike with other forms of BBQ such as pulled pork where the goal is fall-off-the-bone tenderness—with ribs the goal is for flexible meat that pulls off the bone and creates that perfect bite mark when eaten. Now slice and dig in! Your patience has paid off!
Man, I could go for these babies about now--looking out over a winter wonderland out back--come on summer-BBQ!