Baby Back Ribs

I cringe when I hear, "those ribs are so good they fall off the bone"

To me, that says they have been boiled first. We make fun of the English for boiling the flavor out of their food, why are you doing it? Please don't take one of the more expensive pieces of meat and boil the flavor out of it? Now, I have had some good (not baby back) ribs that have been boiled first, the ribs at the Saturday night banquet at the Rocky Top Bonspiel, are an exception that I make every year. But after that wonderful weekend hosted by Great Smoky Mountains Curling, in Knoxville TN, I go back to why are you boiling your meat?

Baby Back Ribs are not cheap so you do want to take some time (love) and cook them properly. We all have heard of low and slow before or as my Uncle Peter would say 8-10 rum (drink) ribs. My nephew Kess, has inherited the family love of ribs. By the age of 5, he could tell you all about ribs.

My niece Maggie, not so much. Many Christmases ago, my parents mentioned that they had picked up a couple of orders of Rib Tips from Larks And five year old Maggie declared that she didn't like ribs. "I don't like the meat part, I don't like the sauce part, I don't like the bone part, I really just don't like ribs." So for family members like Maggie, grab some chicken to put on the grill along side the ribs.

My dad's technique for cooking Baby Back ribs produces tender and tasty ribs. You have to work a little bit to get all the meat off the bones, but it is worth it. His method also gives you minimal clean up, no basting, and lots of time to enjoy life.

Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients:

1 charcoal grill
1 bag of wood charcoal
1-2 racks of Baby Back ribs
Your favorite dry rub
Your favorite (tomato based) BBQ sauce
Aluminum foil
1 fully stocked beer fridge
Lots of good tunes, Chicago Blues and Outlaw Country pairs well with ribs

Recipe:

Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. season with your favorite dry rub, set aside.

Prepare your grill, you'll want to cook your ribs over indirect medium heat for close to 2 hours.


When your coals are ready place ribs, meat side up, on the grill. Cook for 20 mins.

Turn over on top of coals, sauce the under part, and cook for 10 mins.

Tear off enough Aluminum foil to wrap ribs. Lay foil on grill, place 1st rack of ribs, meat part up, on foil, cover with sauce. Note: why use a basting brush, when the side of your tongs will work. Great tip Pops! I hate cleaning BBQ sauce off of brushes.

Place 2nd rack of ribs on top of 1st, with meat part up, sauce. Close up foil, making a foil pouch for your ribs to cook in. Sit back and let your ribs cook for 1-1 1/2  hours depending on how fatty they are.

Cheers!