BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Summer weekends mean grilling pretty much wherever you live. It is always fun to have family and friends over and try out new rubs, sauces, marinades, etc. Normally, when we make ribs they are baked low and slow in the oven to ensure their tenderness. We really enjoyed this recipe because they start off in the oven to cook and become tender, then are finished on the grill to get a little crisp on the outside and infuse the ribs with the grill flavor. It also combined a dry spice rub that goes on in the oven with a homemade vinegar BBQ sauce at the end keeping them moist. The recipe for BBQ sauce is super simple, but does make a ton, so either cut it in half or you will have extra to put on top or use another time. Needless to say these were packed with flavor and fell off the bone. 

BBQ Baby Back Ribs
Source: Jamie Deen
Serves: 4

Rub Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon dry mustard
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 racks baby back pork ribs (4 pounds)
Jamie's BBQ Sauce, recipe follows

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together the brown sugar, mustard, paprika, smoked paprika, black pepper and garlic salt together in a small bowl. Be sure to break up any lumps with your fingers. Reserve 1 tablespoon of rub in a small bowl for serving.

Remove the silver skin from the underside of the ribs by sliding your fingers under the thin membrane and pulling it off. Repeat with the second rack. Rub the ribs with the seasoning on both sides. Place in a single layer in a large roasting pan and cover tightly with heavy-duty foil. Place the roasting pan into the oven and bake until the ribs are tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Preheat the grill to medium heat.

Grill the ribs on each side for 15 minutes, watching and flipping when necessary, for 30 minutes total. Baste with Jamie's BBQ Sauce the last 10 minutes. (The sauce goes on at the end because it is sugar based and you don't want to burn your ribs.)

Let the racks rest 5 minutes before slicing into individual ribs. Sprinkle the cut ribs with the reserved dry rub and serve along with extra sauce.

Jamie's BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon canola oil

2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups ketchup

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and stir until softened. Add the vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cayenne pepper and some salt and black pepper to the saucepan and simmer on medium-low heat until thickened, about 35 minutes. Yield: About 4 cups.

Southern cooking- Dry rub Ribs and corn souffle

With it officially being summer and all the delicious BBQ foods are shown I have had a craving for ribs. Unlike most people I am not a fan of the wet BBQ sauce and much prefer dry rubs. Since I was feeling like ribs were southern, what better side dish to make than a corn soufflé. My Aunt in Atlanta had made this for us when we were visiting in April and it was so good I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Finally a chance to try it out.

The ribs cooked perfectly and were falling off the bone. After they were in the oven the whole house started to smell like the spices in the rub. What I like most about this recipe is that they come out tender but doesn’t require 6 hours in the hot oven.

Dry Rub Ribs – Memphis

Ingredients:

2 pounds baby back ribs

For the Rub:

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dry oregano

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

25 grinds fresh black pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

I added a few sprinkles of garlic powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Mix the rub ingredients together well in a small bowl.

Remove the membrane from the bone side of the ribs, then rub the vegetable oil onto the ribs. 

Pour the rub over the ribs and work the rub fully and evenly into the ribs. Spread the ribs out evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake until tender and juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Source: Dave Lieberman

As for the corn soufflé, it was so simple to make. Literally everything gets thrown in a bowl, mixed up and poured into the dish to bake. Since I have 1 oven I cooked it at a lower temperature so they could go in with the ribs and it took a bit longer than the recipe, but still came out golden brown. I wasn’t sure if my picky eater would like them, but Jason and his Dad both went back for seconds which in my book means a job well done!

Corn Casserole

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn

1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)

1 cup sour cream (I used a light version)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

Source: Paula Deen