Summer Ribs

These ribs were my first attempt and I am so happy with the way they turned out! Using a combination of low and slow in the oven (to make them fall-off-the-bone tender) and grilling (to give them nice browning and a crispy crust) made the ribs incredible! Instead of marinating the ribs in liquid, a dry rub is used to infuse the meat with flavor and provide a delicious crust on the outside.

For the dry rub, you can add in any seasonings you like. I always use red pepper (cayenne), garlic powder, and black pepper. However, sometimes I will add in thyme, oregano, or any other herbs that sound good that day! The important thing to remember is to stick to the 3:2:1 ratio in any combination. 3 parts sugar, 2 parts salt, 1 part seasoning. Plus, this isn't an exact science, so "a little of this, a little of that" works fine! I also have a few different dry rubs if you look under "Spice Rubs" on the left sidebar. Any of these would work great!

The cooking liquid was a bit of an experiment, but it worked great! Typically, water is used, but I always try to find more ways to infuse more flavor. Plus, I didn't want my ribs to have a "boiled" or watery taste. Using Dr. Pepper was a risk, but it's what I had on hand and thought it would add a nice sweet-smokey flavor. It's what really made them great - so have faith in me and give it a try!

Summer Ribs

2 full racks of pork ribs, silver skin removed

Foil

Dry Rub:

3 parts brown sugar and white sugar

2 parts salt

1part seasonings - I used garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper

Cooking liquid:

1/2 C. Dr. Pepper

1 T. apple cider vinegar

1 T. Worchestershire

1 T. honey
2 cloves garlic, minced

In a small bowl, combine desired dry rub ingredients and set aside.

Using the foil, create a foil packet for each rib rack.

Place the ribs on the foil. Take the ribs and flip them over. Using a knife to help get started, tear away the membrane on the underside of the ribs (silver skin) and discard. Rub and massage the dry rub into the ribs. Seal the ribs in the foil packet and let them sit in the fridge at least a few hours or overnight (the longer the better!).

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. In a small sauce pan, combine the cooking liquid ingredients. Heat until combined and the honey is dissolved in the liquid. Place the rib packets on a baking sheet (to catch any liquid). Carefully open one end of each rib packet. Divide the liquid among the packets and reseal. Bake at 250 degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Remove the ribs from the packets and place on a preheated grill until you get nice grill marks and the ribs are heated through. Brush with any excess cooking liquid. Top with your favorite bbq sauce and enjoy!