Annabels Baby Back Ribs Recipes

BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 10 minutes. Add the bourbon and cook until slightly reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the ketchup, coffee, 1/2 cup water, brown sugar, cider vinegar and Worcestershire. Increase the heat and bring to a boil; lower the heat and simmer until slightly thickened and the onions are tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth (be careful when blending hot liquids). Transfer the sauce to a bowl and cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper, and coat the racks on both sides with about 2 cups total of the barbecue sauce (reserve the remaining sauce). Put the ribs, bone-side down, on the prepared baking sheet and wrap each rack with foil. Bake until the meat is tender and pulling away from the bone, about 2 hours.
• Remove the foil and turn the ribs bone-side up. Preheat the broiler to high. Brush the bone side of the ribs with half of the remaining sauce, and broil until lightly charred in spots, about 5 minutes. Turn the ribs over, brush with the remaining sauce and broil again until charred stops on top, another 5 minutes. Cut the racks in half and serve.

BABY BACK RIBS (SMOKER, OVEN, OR OVEN-TO-GRILL)

Steps:

• Make the Spice Rub: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, ground mustard, and cayenne pepper.
• Preheat the smoker to 225°F or the oven to 300°F. (If using the oven, set one rack in the middle position and one rack in the top position.)
• Remove the membrane that coats the underside of each rack of ribs. Using a butter knife, loosen the membrane around one of the end bones, scraping it away from the ribs. Once you get under it, grab the membrane with a paper towel and peel it off. If you're lucky, it will come off all in one piece. (Alternatively, ask your butcher to do this for you.)
• Coat the ribs evenly on both sides with about half of the spice rub. Allow the ribs to sit for about 15 minutes to "sweat" and absorb the rub, then coat the racks with the remainder of the rub. It will seem like too much rub but it's not - use it all.
• Smoker Method: Place the spice-coated ribs in the smoker and cook for 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the smoker and double wrap each rack in heavy-duty foil. Return to the smoker for 1½ hours. Remove the foil-wrapped ribs from the smoker (hot grease may drip out of the foil, so be careful). Carefully unwrap, leaving the ribs on the foil, and brush to the top of each rack with about 3 tablespoons of the BBQ sauce. Fold the edges of the foil around the ribs, creating a makeshift "pan" for each rack. Place the racks back in the smoker on the foil and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour more, or until the racks are tender. To determine if they're done, lift them from the center with tongs - if they bend easily and the meat "cracks" on top, they are ready. Let the ribs cool for about 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
• Oven or Oven-to-Grill Method: Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the spice-coated ribs on the prepared pan, cover the pan tightly with foil, and bake until tender, about 2 hours. Turn the oven to broil. Remove the foil from the ribs and brush each rack with 3 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce. Broil until the sauce just starts to bubble and caramelize, 2 to 4 minutes. Keep a close eye on the ribs while they're under the broiler; because of the sugar in the rub and sauce, they will quickly go from nicely caramelized to burnt. (Alternatively, you can skip the broiling and finish the ribs on the grill. Preheat the grill to medium and grill the baked racks for 10 to 15 minutes, brushing occasionally with the BBQ sauce until charred in spots and heated through. Adjust heat as necessary to prevent burning.) Let the ribs cool for about 10 minutes, then slice and serve.
• Reheating/Freezing Instructions:The cooked ribs will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, or they can be frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw the ribs overnight in refrigerator if necessary, then place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush the ribs with another layer of BBQ sauce and cover tightly with foil. Warm in a 250°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until warmed through. Remove the foil and continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the sauce to set and the bark to crisp up.

PRIZE WINNING BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat a gas grill for high heat, or arrange charcoal briquettes on one side of the barbeque. Lightly oil the grate.
• In a small jar, combine cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Close the lid, and shake to mix.
• Trim the membrane sheath from the back of each rack. Run a small, sharp knife between the membrane and each rib, and snip off the membrane as much as possible. Sprinkle as much of the rub onto both sides of the ribs as desired. To prevent the ribs from becoming too dark and spicy, do not thoroughly rub the spices into the ribs. Store the unused portion of the spice mix for future use.
• Place aluminum foil on lower rack to capture drippings and prevent flare-ups. Lay the ribs on the top rack of the grill (away from the coals, if you're using briquettes). Reduce gas heat to low, close lid, and leave undisturbed for 1 hour. Do not lift the lid at all.
• Brush ribs with barbecue sauce, and grill an additional 5 minutes. Serve ribs as whole rack, or cut between each rib bone and pile individually on a platter.

BAKED BBQ BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Mix ancho chile powder, white sugar, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, cumin, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, and chipotle pepper in a small bowl until combined.
• Place ribs meat-side down on aluminum foil. Prick back of rib rack several times with a knife.
• Generously apply coating of dry rub to all sides of rib rack.
• With rib rack meat-side down, fold foil around it to create a tight seal. Transfer to sheet pan.
• Bake in preheated oven until tender and cooked through, about 2 hours. Remove and cool 15 minutes.
• Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Open foil, drain and discard any accumulated juices and fat. Brush barbeque sauce on all sides of rack.
• Place rack meat-side up and return to oven, leaving foil open. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and brush another layer of barbeque sauce on meat-side only. Repeat baking and brushing with sauce 4 more times, for a total of 50 minutes baking time.
• Cut rack into individual rib segments and serve with more barbeque sauce.

GRILLED BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Build a fire in your grill, leaving one side free of coals. When coals are covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 5 to 7 seconds), you are ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn all burners to high, lower cover and heat for 15 minutes, then turn burners to medium.)
• Meanwhile, combine barbecue sauce with 1 cup water and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Sprinkle the ribs generously with salt and pepper, put them on the grill directly over the coals and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once every 5 minutes or so, and basting with the thinned barbecue sauce, until a peek inside shows that the meat no longer has any pink at the center.
• Take the racks of ribs off the grill, cut them into individual ribs and serve.

BABY BACK RIBS WITH CAROLINA BASTE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Combine the sugar, paprika, mustard powder, celery salt and garlic granules in a bowl, and rub all over the ribs. Place in 2 large roasting tins with racks set inside (if you don't have racks, that's fine). Pour 150ml water into the bottom of each tin, cover tightly with foil and roast for 3 hrs until nearly falling apart. If your roasting tins are on different shelves, swap them over halfway through the cooking time. Once cooked, remove and drain the cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, to make the baste, mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook for 10 mins, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.
• Heat an outdoor barbecue. Whether your grill is gas or charcoal, use low heat to barbecue the ribs. Cook the ribs for 3-4 mins each side, brushing regularly with the baste, until golden and sticky. Alternatively, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7 and roast the ribs for 25-30 mins, turning the ribs over and rotating the tins halfway through the cooking time.