Whew! It’s been quite a week. I never knew starting school would be so – draining? And I’m not even the one attending. I’m not exactly sure what my problem is but between early bus pick ups (well, early for us), back to school night, football practices, a traveling husband , a pep rally, and a girls night in? I feel….tired. And oh yea, thanks B for waking up at 5:20. Sigh.
Lucky for me today is Saturday and this particular Saturday is pretty open. We’ve got a football game to enjoy and then (hopefully) a lazy night in. M and I haven’t had dinner together in what seems like forever so we must get the green egg going and I’m thinking a classic summer dinner of ribs, grilled corn, and sliced tomatoes couldn’t sound better. Maybe if he’s really nice to me today I’ll also whip up some twice baked potatoes. Maybe.
As far as the ribs go – I’m in love with this recipe. Bon Appetit can really get it right sometimes and they nailed this one. The trick? Bake in the oven until just barely tender and then let them hang out in the fridge. This helps really helps the ribs not fall apart on the grill. We had two perfect racks last time, one for us and one for my parents down the road.
Summer isn’t over yet – get these going before it’s too late!
- 2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 pounds baby back pork ribs (8 racks) or St. Louis-style spareribs (4 racks)
- Low-salt chicken broth (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups store-bought or homemade barbecue sauce plus more
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.
- Place each rack of ribs on a double layer of foil; sprinkle rub all over ribs.
- Wrap racks individually and divide between 2 baking sheets.
- Bake ribs until very tender but not falling apart, about 2 hours for baby backs and 3 hours for spareribs.
- Carefully unwrap ribs; pour any juices from foil into a 4-cup heatproof measuring cup; reserve juices.
- Let ribs cool completely.
- DO AHEAD: Ribs can be baked up to 3 days ahead (the flavor will be more developed, and the cold ribs will hold together better on the grill as they heat through).
- Cover and chill juices. Rewrap ribs in foil and chill.
- Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high.
- Add broth or water to rib juices, if needed, to measure 1 1/2 cups.
- Whisk in barbecue sauce to blend.
- Grill ribs, basting with barbecue sauce mixture and turning frequently, until charred in places and heated through, 7-10 minutes.
- Transfer to a cutting board; cut between ribs to separate.
- Transfer to a platter and serve with additional barbecue sauce.
Eat up!
C