Backyard Baby Back Ribs With Ranch Rub Recipes

BACKYARD BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Place each rib rack on a sheet of extra-wide, heavy-duty aluminum foil. (The foil should be 4 inches longer than the ribs on either end.) Season racks liberally with kosher salt and sprinkle each rack with 3 tablespoons of the rub. Turn the ribs, meat side down, and tightly seal each foil pouch. Place on a half sheet pan and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, heat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Combine the orange juice and margarita mix in a liquid measuring cup. Open 1 end of each pouch and evenly divide the liquid between the 2 pouches. Reseal the pouches and place the sheet pan in the oven for 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the oven, carefully open 1 end of each pouch and pour the braising liquid into a heatproof measuring cup. Reseal the pouches and place them and the measuring cup of liquid into the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.
• The fat in the braising liquid will have solidified on the top and can be removed at this time. Transfer the liquid to a small saucepan and add the honey, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, espresso powder and cayenne pepper. Whisk to combine. Set over medium high heat and reduce to a glaze, approximately 10 minutes.
• Set a gas grill to medium-high and allow to heat for 10 minutes. Cut each slab in half and place them on the grill, flesh side down, close the lid and decrease the heat to medium. Leave alone for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 minutes on each side 1 more time or until each rib has a nice char. Remove the ribs from the grill to a cutting board. and cut into 2 rib portions, using kitchen shears. Add the ribs and half the glaze to a large serving bowl and toss to thoroughly coat. Serve the remaining glaze on the side.
• Place all of the ingredients in an airtight container and shake to combine. Store for up to 3 months.
• Yield: about 2 1/2 cups

RANCH-RUBBED PORK RIBS

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the hot coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only to medium-high heat. Place a pan filled with about 1 cup of water next to the coals for additional moisture.
• For the ranch rub: Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.
• For the ribs: Using a dry towel for grip, peel the membrane (silver skin) off the bone side of the ribs and discard. Generously season both sides of the ribs with the ranch rub.
• Place the ribs bone-side down over indirect heat, cover the grill down and cook until the internal temperature of the ribs reaches 140 degrees F, about 1 hour. Wrap the ribs in aluminum foil and continue to cook for another hour.
• Take the ribs out of the foil and put back onto the grill, still bone-side down. Spritz with pickle juice, cover the grill and continue to cook until the bones start to pull away from the meat, another hour or so. Check the ribs by flipping a rack over so the bones are facing up. Press your finger on the meat between the bones. If there is some give and the meat starts separating from the bone, they are ready. If not, continue cooking for another 30 to 45 minutes.
• Remove the ribs from the grill, cut into 1-bone pieces and pile onto a platter to serve!
• (Alternatively, you can bake the ribs in a 300 degrees F oven for 3 to 4 hours.)

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 TROPICAL BBQ SAUCE

Steps:

• For the Tropical Rub:
• Whisk all ingredients together.
• For the ribs:
• Rinse and dry ribs. Place on a clean cutting board and pull off the membrane, the thin fatty skin that lines the underside of the ribs. Trim the ribs of excess fat and meat. Liberally season both sides of the ribs with 1/4 cup of the tropical dry rub. Wrap ribs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours so flavors can permeate.
• Preheat grill to 200 to 225 degrees F using charcoal and indirect heat.
• Place ribs meatier side down on the grill away from the flame. Cook the ribs 2 to 2 1/2 hours total, turning the ribs halfway through, until ribs bend.
• In a food processor, add the ginger, jalapeno and green onion. Pulse until they are finely chopped. In a medium saucepan, add the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the ginger mixture and saute until tender. Combine the ketchup, mango juice, passion fruit juice, cider vinegar, molasses and dry mustard in a bowl and add to the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 10 minutes for the flavors to blend.

MEMPHIS DRY-RUBBED BACK RIBS

Steps:

• At least a half hour and up to 4 hours before you plan to cook the ribs, peel the membrane off the back of the ribs and trim any excessive fat. Season the ribs liberally on both sides with the Rib Rub. Refrigerate.
• Prepare the grill for cooking over indirect heat at 300 degrees F using apple or cherry wood for flavor. Place the ribs directly on the cooking grate, meaty-side up. Cook for 1 hour. Flip and cook another 30 minutes. Flip again and cook until they are nicely caramelized and golden brown, about another 30 minutes, but may vary depending on your grill. Transfer the ribs to a platter.
• Lay out two big double-layered sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, each big enough to wrap a whole slab of the ribs. Transfer the ribs to the foil, meaty-side up. Fold the foil up around the ribs into a packet. Seal the packets snugly, being careful not to puncture the foil with the rib bones. Return to the grill for 45 minutes to 1 hour to reach your desired degree of tenderness. The best way to determine the doneness is to open the foil after 45 minutes and feel the texture of the meat. It should be very tender. Transfer the foil packets to a platter. Raise the temp of the grill to 400 degrees F. Remove the ribs from the foil and return to the cooking grate. Sprinkle lightly with additional Rib Rub #99. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip and sprinkle the other side lightly with the Rib Rub and cook for 5 minutes. Flip one last time and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove the ribs to a platter. Serve 1/2 slab to each guest.
• Combine all ingredients, mix well, and store in an airtight container.

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.