Suuummmer tiiime and the grillin’ is eaaaaasy… Oh yeah it is when you have a fail safe super simple baby back ribs recipe! This is my husband’s lovely creation which he sort of tweaked and evolved over the years with help from friends and family (not to mention many bbqs all in the name of taste testing;). I think the beast is mastered at this point and I thought it high time to share the fruits of his labor with you lovely folks so here goes. These ribs are so tender that they LITERALLY right off the bone which made styling, shooting, and even just cutting them a challenge. So tender and succulent!
First things first, that icky membrane on the underside of the ribs must be removed. Some stores like Costco remove the membrane before packaging but you should still check for little remaining bits of membrane. This is a great video on how to remove that pesky thing. Enjoy the sultry tunes and insanely entertaining voice over. Yes, sometimes it does take more than one pull to get it all off;)
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon orange peel powder or 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest (use a microplane to fine grate)
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
- 4 pounds baby back ribs
- your favorite barbecue sauce
- Cut each whole rack in half and tear off aluminum foil sheets big enough to enclose each halved. Peel membrane off the back of the rib with a butter knife and a paper towel.
- Mix up dry ingredients to make rub and apply liberally massaging into meat.
- Enclose each segment separately and tightly in aluminum foil and refrigerate for 8 hour or overnight.
- Put ribs still tightly enclosed in foil on a baking sheet (they drip like crazy) and bake at 300 degrees for 2-1/2 hour.
- After baking you can either refrigerate until ready to grill or put them right on the grill. Once ready to grill, slather with your favorite BBQ sauce and grill at a medium heat for about 5-10 min per side or until sauce is a little bubbly and they are charred they way you like. Don't leave them on for too long or they'll dry out.
food photographer, food photography, los angeles, crystal cartier
These look amazing. Probably my “last meal,” if they’re done like this.
Ditto!