Slow Cooked Dry Rub Ribs
I love ribs, the fall-off-the-bone kind… the smokey, sweet melt in your mouth, and your-fingers kind. Ribs are always a “summer thing” at our house until I decided they could be a year-round experience in the oven… slow-cooked after “marinating” in the refrigerator the day before to enhance the flavor to the MAX! You won’t be disappointed with this recipe… follow it up with a smattering of Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet N Spicy sauce and it is completely addictive!
What You Need (Key Ingredients):
3 – 4 pounds of pork baby back ribs or large country-style boned ribs
kosher salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
What You Need (Spice Rub Ingredients):
½ cup + 2Tbs brown sugar
1-1.2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika, sweet or smoked
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional)
1-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. *I double the dry rub and put half into a resealable bag for future use.
Preheat the oven to 250°F/120°C and place an oven rack in the middle of your oven.
Season the ribs with salt and black pepper.
Make the spice rub: in a small bowl, mix all of the spice rub ingredients together until they’re well combined.
Gently rub the spice mix all over the ribs, making sure to completely cover the ribs in the spices.
Make a pouch for the ribs: place two layers of aluminum foil down, place the ribs (meat side up) on the foil, then pull the edges of the foil up around the ribs to wrap them. The pouch needs to be sealed well so that it will keep in moisture. Let the ribs sit, refrigerated, in the spice rub for 12 hours, or bake them immediately.
Place the foil pouch on a baking sheet or baking dish and cook for 2½ – 3 hours, or more depending on the size of your racks of ribs. Turn the oven off and allow the ribs to rest until they’re cool enough to handle without oven mitts.
Remove the ribs from the oven and open the foil pouch. Turn the oven to broil. Brush the ribs with a good layer of sauce and broil them until the top is caramelized and the sauce is set (about 5 – 10 minutes). Choice of your sauce or serve as is.
Allow the ribs to cool slightly before cutting them into individual ribs or sections. Serve with extra sauce if desired.