The Best Baby Back Ribs

I LOVE good ribs.

This recipe is easy, because it's all done in the oven.

Give it a try.

Ingredients

1 rack of pork baby back ribs.

Dry rub (you can use whatever spices you like, but definitely don't leave out the brown sugar)

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 tablespoon or less of cayenne pepper (unless you

like it HOT)

1-2 tablespoons chili powder

mix it all up.

Preparation

Prep the ribs:  On the back of the ribs will be a very thin but very tough membrane that you must remove. You can't really see it well, but trust me that it's there. I usually use a knife to pry up a corner of the membrane, then I just pull it down the entire length of the ribs. A paper towel may help to grab and hold on to the membrane.  Sometimes it tears and you have to try a few times, but you definitely don't want to skip this step. 

Once the membrane is removed, put the dry rub all over the ribs (both sides) and rub it in. The meat will take on some of the colors in the dry rub and look a little reddish.

Wrap the ribs in some heavy duty tin foil and let them hang out in the fridge till you're ready to cook them.

Cook the ribs: At 250 degrees, place the ribs wrapped securely in tin foil onto a cookie sheet (sometimes juice/fat can escape the tin foil) and place them in the oven. cook for 2 hours. After 2 hours, pull them out and open the tin foil to take a look. At this point you can add a little apple juice on top of them, but that's not really necessary. Re-wrap them, and put them back in for another 1/2 hour. Pull them out again and open the tin foil completely.

At this point you can brush some BBQ sauce on them, or leave them the way they are. Crank up the heat to 350 and put the ribs back in the oven with the tin foil open. After half an hour, they're done! You can always do this last part on a BBQ, but watch the ribs and make sure they don't burn from the sugar.

Asian Style Baby Back Ribs

It really doesn't get any easier than this crock pot recipe.

For a delicious weeknight dinner, just put it in the crock pot and let it cook slow.

These Meaty Baby Back Ribs are on Sale Wednesday, March 29 to April 4, 2017, for the awesome price of $3.99 lb. at five Harter House Locations including Republic Road in Springfield and Kenneth Street in Nixa.

Ingredients   

2/3 cup light-brown sugar

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 rack pork ribs (about 3 pounds) cut into sections of 3 to 4 ribs

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions

1. In a small bowl, blend sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, ginger, garlic and red pepper.

2. Place ribs in slow cooker bowl; add sauce. Cover; cook on HIGH for 6 hours or until meat is tender.

3. Transfer ribs to a platter. Strain sauce and discard excess fat. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; blend with sauce in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until thickened. Top ribs with 1/2 cup of sauce, scallions and sesame seeds; serve with remaining sauce.

Harter House Baby Back Smoked Ribs

RIB RUB:

2 tbsp. kosher salt

2 tbsp. paprika

4 tbsp. granulated garlic

1 tbsp. onion powder

1 tsp. cumin seed

1 tsp. Cayenne pepper

2 tsp. dry mustard

2 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients well and rub on ribs.

General Instructions for Preparing Ribs:

Using a knife remove the membrane from ribs by sliding knife underneath and peeling back the membrane. 

OR, ask the butcher at Harter House to remove it for you.  

Season ribs with the dry rub.

Cook ribs over indirect heat (250°F-300°F) for 3-4 hours. Hickory, mesquite, apple or other fruit wood soaked in water and tossed in small quantities over the hot coals periodically during the cooking in order to impart a smoky flavor. You will need to also add more charcoal to the fire as the cooking progresses in order to maintain temperature.

After 3 or 4 hours of slow barbecuing, arrange the ribs on a shallow-sided disposable aluminum pan and mop them on both sides with the mixture below. 

MOP:

1 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon garlic

1 cup water

3 tablespoons soy sauce

Cook for another hour, mop again, turn. Baste the ribs and check the coals at least once every hour for the next 3-4 hours.

Baste on both sides well with your preferred BBQ sauce (we make our own molasses-based sauce), sprinkle lightly with garlic and onion powder, and wrap each rack of ribs well (straight from the grill) in heavy duty aluminum foil. Allow to rest in the foil for 30 minutes.

When ribs are done, they will be fall-off-the-bone tender, and the meat will have shrunken away from the ends of the bone by 1/4-inch or so.

Total cooking time is approximately 4-8 hours but this will vary according to your grill and the size of the rib rack (s) being cooked. The ribs are done when falling-off-the-bone tender and you just can't wait any longer!

ENJOY!