Baby Back Ribs With Vibrant Coleslaw Recipes

BABY BACK RIBS (SMOKER, OVEN, OR OVEN-TO-GRILL)

Steps:

• Make the Spice Rub: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, ground mustard, and cayenne pepper.
• Preheat the smoker to 225°F or the oven to 300°F. (If using the oven, set one rack in the middle position and one rack in the top position.)
• Remove the membrane that coats the underside of each rack of ribs. Using a butter knife, loosen the membrane around one of the end bones, scraping it away from the ribs. Once you get under it, grab the membrane with a paper towel and peel it off. If you're lucky, it will come off all in one piece. (Alternatively, ask your butcher to do this for you.)
• Coat the ribs evenly on both sides with about half of the spice rub. Allow the ribs to sit for about 15 minutes to "sweat" and absorb the rub, then coat the racks with the remainder of the rub. It will seem like too much rub but it's not - use it all.
• Smoker Method: Place the spice-coated ribs in the smoker and cook for 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the smoker and double wrap each rack in heavy-duty foil. Return to the smoker for 1½ hours. Remove the foil-wrapped ribs from the smoker (hot grease may drip out of the foil, so be careful). Carefully unwrap, leaving the ribs on the foil, and brush to the top of each rack with about 3 tablespoons of the BBQ sauce. Fold the edges of the foil around the ribs, creating a makeshift "pan" for each rack. Place the racks back in the smoker on the foil and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour more, or until the racks are tender. To determine if they're done, lift them from the center with tongs - if they bend easily and the meat "cracks" on top, they are ready. Let the ribs cool for about 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
• Oven or Oven-to-Grill Method: Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the spice-coated ribs on the prepared pan, cover the pan tightly with foil, and bake until tender, about 2 hours. Turn the oven to broil. Remove the foil from the ribs and brush each rack with 3 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce. Broil until the sauce just starts to bubble and caramelize, 2 to 4 minutes. Keep a close eye on the ribs while they're under the broiler; because of the sugar in the rub and sauce, they will quickly go from nicely caramelized to burnt. (Alternatively, you can skip the broiling and finish the ribs on the grill. Preheat the grill to medium and grill the baked racks for 10 to 15 minutes, brushing occasionally with the BBQ sauce until charred in spots and heated through. Adjust heat as necessary to prevent burning.) Let the ribs cool for about 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
• Reheating/Freezing Instructions:The cooked ribs will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, or they can be frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw the ribs overnight in refrigerator if necessary, then place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the ribs with another layer of BBQ sauce and cover tightly with foil. Warm in a 250°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until warmed through. Remove the foil and continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the sauce to set and the bark to crisp up.

BABY BACK RIBS WITH VIBRANT COLESLAW

Steps:

• Set oven racks at the bottom and top thirds of the oven and preheat to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Combine all rub ingredients in a small bowl.
• Check to see if the membrane has been removed from the backside of the ribs. If not, insert a blunt dinner knife under one edge of the membrane and use a paper towel to grab the edge and pull the membrane off the ribs. It should come off in one piece.
• Place ribs on the prepared baking sheet and generously sprinkle one tablespoon of the rub on all four sides then (really!) rub it in. Bake until the ribs are pliable but not falling apart, about 1¾ - 2 hours.
• Near the end of the cooking time, make the glaze. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken sauce. The goal is to marry the flavors and apply a warm glaze - and not a cold one - to the hot ribs.
• After 1¾ hours of cooking, remove the ribs from the oven. Use a paring knife to check the meat between the bones. If there is light resistance but the knife goes through easily, the ribs are done. If not, bake for 15 more minutes.
• Turn broiler to high. Flip the racks over and use a basting or pastry brush to brush the undersides of the ribs with glaze. Turn back over and heavily brush the top of the ribs with glaze.
• Broil the ribs on the upper rack for 3 - 4 minutes, just until the glaze begins to caramelize. Keep a close eye on the ribs while they broil so the sauce does not burn. Remove ribs from the oven, add another layer of glaze - just to the top this time - and broil again for 3 - 4 minutes. Repeat the glazing and broiling process one more time (for a total of 3 times).
• Allow the ribs to rest for 10 minutes. To make cutting easier, use tongs to hold rib racks on their side so you can see the bones while using a large sharp knife to cut between the ribs. Serve with a huge mound of Vibrant Winter Coleslaw, a bowl for the bones and plenty of napkins.

STICKY TAMARIND RIBS WITH SWEET AND SPICY KALE MANGO SLAW

Steps:

• For the ribs and rub: Tear two sheets of aluminum foil (large enough to fully wrap each rack of ribs) and place each on a rimmed baking sheet. Place a rack of ribs on top of each. Mix together the dark brown sugar, chili powder, curry powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne in a bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon rub mixture. Evenly divide the remaining rub between the two racks of ribs and cover all surfaces of the fronts, backs and sides of each. Wrap tightly in the aluminum foil. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Bake the ribs 20 to 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 250 degrees F. Continue to cook until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• For the sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger and the reserved spice rub and saute an additional minute to allow the spices to bloom. Add the ketchup, chicken broth, dark brown sugar, tamarind paste, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder, and stir to combine. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Remove the ribs from the oven and preheat the broiler to high.
• Remove the ribs from the foil and place them on the baking sheets. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the liquid that has gathered in the foil into the sauce and stir to combine. Brush the ribs generously with a few tablespoons of the sauce. Place under the broiler, rotating the baking sheet if necessary, until the sauce begins to brown and thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining ribs. Transfer the ribs to a cutting board and brush with the sauce once again. Serve the ribs with additional sauce and the Slaw.
• For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, oil, vinegar, granulated sugar, ginger, salt, garlic and black pepper until emulsified.
• For the slaw: In a large salad bowl, combine the kale, cabbage, mango, bell pepper, scallions, chile, peanuts, cilantro and mint.
• Add the dressing to the slaw and toss to combine.

BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Place the ribs in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the water, onion, celery, 1 teaspoon garlic and peppercorns. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until meat is tender. , In a small saucepan, combine the barbecue sauce, plum sauce, hot pepper sauce and remaining garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until heated through. Remove ribs. Discard cooking juices and vegetables., Brush ribs with sauce. Grill, covered, on an oiled rack over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes or until browned, turning and basting occasionally with remaining sauce.

BAKED BBQ BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Mix ancho chile powder, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, cumin, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, and chipotle pepper in a small bowl until combined.
• Place ribs meat-side down on aluminum foil. Prick back of rib rack several times with a knife.
• Generously apply coating of dry rub to all sides of rib rack.
• With rib rack meat-side down, fold foil around it to create a tight seal. Transfer to sheet pan.
• Bake in preheated oven until tender and cooked through, about 2 hours. Remove and cool 15 minutes.
• Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Open foil, drain and discard any accumulated juices and fat. Brush barbeque sauce on all sides of rack.
• Place rack meat-side up and return to oven, leaving foil open. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and brush another layer of barbeque sauce on meat-side only. Repeat baking and brushing with sauce 4 more times, for a total of 50 minutes baking time.
• Cut rack into individual rib segments and serve with more barbeque sauce.

THE BEST BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Place ribs bone side down in a large roasting pan on a rack (if you have one, you don't have to use rack)
• Combine garlic powder, seasoning salt, and pepper. Sprinkle over the ribs. Top with sliced onions. Cover tightly and bake at 350 for 2 1/2 hours.
• In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and this is your sauce.
• Remove ribs from pan, remove onions and discard, and drain fat. Put ribs back in pan and brush ribs liberally with sauce. Cover and bake 25 minutes longer. Uncover and cook 5 more minutes. Serve with remaining sauce.
• You can reduce the amount of ribs if you are cooking for a smaller group. I usually use 2 racks to serve 4.