The most important part of making ribs is having good seasoning. Some people do only a dry rub, some people do only sauce, and some people do a combo. I change it up between dry rub only and a combo. But let's get to the dry rub and go from there....
This is the base for flavor in your ribs, so go BOLD! I have to apologize here because I have never measured the dry rub when I make it. Part of what I love about cooking is that you don't have to be exact. You can throw a little of this in, and a little more of that, and get it to the perfect flavor palette for you. My rub includes a combo of salt and pepper (of course!), paprika (that's the big red pile), a little cayenne powder (the small red), garlic powder and onion powder. I combine all of that together...
and get some brown sugar! The brown sugar is what will help the outside of the ribs to carmelize as it cooks. I just mix the spice rub in with about 1-2 cups of brown sugar. Remember though, it's flexible - so don't get too worked up about it. Add some, think you need more? Add a little more!
This foil process was perfected by my mom, and it works really well! Lay down one piece of foil on the counter, and get another piece ready to lay on top of the ribs once you rub the spice/sugar mix on.
Lay the ribs meaty side down on the foil. Speaking of the ribs, I usually buy pork loin ribs because they're tasty....and they're cheap! I can get them for about $1.91/lb. Baby back ribs are delicious, but they are usually closer to $4+/lb. Anyways, spoon some of the spice mix over the top and rub it in - it's not called a dry rub for nothing.... get rubbing!
Then flip it over. This is the side where I reserve most of the rub for....because it is where most of the meat is, and we want to give it a lot of yummy flavor.
Now, wash your hands! Then, lay the top piece of foil over the bottom. I'm sorry that I don't have any good pictures of this process. But you will push the two pieces together, and then roll the bottom piece over the top until you run out of room (because you're up against the rib) and fold down. Make sure it is well-sealed! If it's not, you will have the rib juices dripping out.
Line a baking sheet with foil, and place your foil wrapped ribs on top. Place in the oven at 300 degrees for 3-4 hours. For the last 15-30 minutes, I unwrap the foil (just the top piece) and place a little more brown sugar over the top to carmelize. This is also the point where I would rub on some barbeque sauce (by the way, Trader Joe's has an awesome and natural sauce!). I would put the sauce and then sprinkle a little brown sugar over.
You know the ribs are ready when they are fork tender. Basically, take a fork and try and "fork off" a piece of the ribs that are near you. It should pull off easily.
and get some brown sugar! The brown sugar is what will help the outside of the ribs to carmelize as it cooks. I just mix the spice rub in with about 1-2 cups of brown sugar. Remember though, it's flexible - so don't get too worked up about it. Add some, think you need more? Add a little more!
This foil process was perfected by my mom, and it works really well! Lay down one piece of foil on the counter, and get another piece ready to lay on top of the ribs once you rub the spice/sugar mix on.
Lay the ribs meaty side down on the foil. Speaking of the ribs, I usually buy pork loin ribs because they're tasty....and they're cheap! I can get them for about $1.91/lb. Baby back ribs are delicious, but they are usually closer to $4+/lb. Anyways, spoon some of the spice mix over the top and rub it in - it's not called a dry rub for nothing.... get rubbing!
Then flip it over. This is the side where I reserve most of the rub for....because it is where most of the meat is, and we want to give it a lot of yummy flavor.
Now, wash your hands! Then, lay the top piece of foil over the bottom. I'm sorry that I don't have any good pictures of this process. But you will push the two pieces together, and then roll the bottom piece over the top until you run out of room (because you're up against the rib) and fold down. Make sure it is well-sealed! If it's not, you will have the rib juices dripping out.
Line a baking sheet with foil, and place your foil wrapped ribs on top. Place in the oven at 300 degrees for 3-4 hours. For the last 15-30 minutes, I unwrap the foil (just the top piece) and place a little more brown sugar over the top to carmelize. This is also the point where I would rub on some barbeque sauce (by the way, Trader Joe's has an awesome and natural sauce!). I would put the sauce and then sprinkle a little brown sugar over.
You know the ribs are ready when they are fork tender. Basically, take a fork and try and "fork off" a piece of the ribs that are near you. It should pull off easily.And this is what they'll look like what they're done. This was a set of ribs we made for a party we had - 5 racks of ribs....my idea of a party! :)
Hope I've taken some of the fear factor out of ribs for you! I used to be pretty intimidated by them, but they are so easy. The prep part takes 10-15 minutes, and then you let them go for a few hours! They end up so tasty. We serve them with mashed potatoes or homemade fries....salad, corn....whatever you feel like!
Mary
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