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Baby back ribs. Do I need an explanation for country baby back ribs? In case you do, its because they are SOOOO good! Fall off the bone, tender, BBQ saucy good. That’s why these dry-rub ribs are a favorite recipe at my house.
Baby back ribs are not hard to make! Let me say that again; they are not hard to make. Throw a few pantry ingredients in a bowl, stir and rub on to the baby back ribs. Wrap them in tinfoil and bake for 2-3 hours. I cook my baby back ribs in the oven for the majority of the year because, well, we live in Vermont, and it’s just not realistic to BBQ when its 22 degrees out and snowing! The only tip to these ribs is to make sure you take the sheath off the back of the rack of ribs. I’ll explain it below.
Cooking Tips
for Country Baby Back Ribs
- To make these fall-apart tender, you’ll want to take the sheath off the back of the baby back ribs. If you turn the meaty side down, you see a shiny smooth surface. Find one of the bones toward the end of the rib rack. Take a sharp knife and slide the end of the blade between the bone and sheath. Wiggle the knife in towards the middle of the rack to loosen the sheath. Once you have about 1 inch loosened, take your finger and try to continue to pry it off the rack of ribs.
- You can add more or less spice to these by altering the recipe below. These are on the milder side, so add some chili powder or your favorite spice to kick it up a notch!
Mix together the dry rub ingredients. Sprinkle all over the ribs and press or rub it onto the ribs. Wrap each rib in a tinfoil packet and place it on a baking sheet.
FARM TO TABLE
In the past, we have raised our pigs on our dairy farm, but more recently we’ve got a pig from another local farm (thank you, Mr. Tanner). It’s always nice to know where the meat on your plate is grown, and you get to support your local farmer at the same time. Of course, store-bought is just fine also, and that’s what I used here because we go through more baby back ribs than one pig can provide us for the year. In addition to buying from the local farmer, we use the local butcher here in our small town, Royer’s, who also does all our beef, and their family buys raw milk from us. Challenge: See how far you can reach by buying locally sourced ingredients!
Food Pairing
Pair your country baby back ribs with any comfort food. During the colder months, I like to make this with my Creamy Vermont Mac and Cheese recipe and cornbread. During the summer, make a killer potato salad and corn on the cob.
Country Baby Back Ribs
Equipment
- Tinfoil
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
- 2 racks of pork baby back ribs
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp chili powder – more to taste
- BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325°.
- Take the sheath off the back of the ribs by sliding a sharp knife between the bone and the sheath. Loosen and pull the sheath off the rack of ribs.
- Put each rib on a sheet of tin foil that is 2.5 times as long as the ribs.
- Mix together the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the dry-rub onto the ribs and pat onto the ribs.
- Fold the tin foil ends over the ribs and roll the long edges up tight to the ribs.
- Place ribs on a large baking sheet. Bake for 2½-3 hours on 325°. Take out of the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve with BBQ sauce.