Baby Back Ribs With Saba Slather Food

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.

PERFECT BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• For the dry rub: Place the salt, smoked and sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper and cayenne (if using) in a small bowl and mix with a fork until well blended.
• Sprinkle the ribs with the vinegar and rub into the flesh. Rub the dry rub mixture all over the ribs. (This may be done the night before for extra flavor, and placed in the refrigerator.)
• Spray the insert of a large (at least 6 quarts) slow cooker with nonstick spray. Place the ribs in the insert, cutting the racks in half if needed to fit. Pour the beer on the bottom of the insert. Cover and cook on low until the meat is tender but still intact (about 9 hours).
• When the ribs are almost cooked, prepare a grill for high heat.
• Remove the cooked ribs from the slow cooker, blot any excessive (dripping) moisture and place them on the hot grill. Cook until a nice char is formed, 10 to 15 minutes, coating them with BBQ sauce (if using) as they cook.

BABY BACK RIBS WITH SABA SLATHER

Steps:

• Place sage and garlic cloves in a food processor or mortar. Process to a paste. Place in a 1-quart bowl and add mustard, a generous amount of pepper and saba. Transfer half to a container, cover and refrigerate. Add wine, oil and vinegar to the rest to make a marinade.
• Cut rib racks in half. Place on a work surface, meaty side down. Work the point of a sharp knife under the thin membrane on the bone side of the ribs, enough so you can use a dish towel to grab the membrane and peel it off. Place ribs in a shallow dish in one or two layers. Pour marinade over, turn racks to coat, cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Heat oven to 275 degrees. Place ribs in a roasting pan. Pour marinade into a saucepan and add reserved saba mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes, until thickened. Set aside. Cover rib pan with foil. Bake 2 hours.
• Light a grill. Brush ribs with reduced marinade mixture. Grill about 6 inches from medium-hot coals or gas, basting and turning frequently until nicely browned and glazed, 15 to 20 minutes. Ribs can also be cooked under a broiler. Cut apart between bones, pile on a platter and garnish with sage.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• For the basic BBQ rub: Using a coffee grinder, grind the turbinado sugar with a few "pulses" until it is lightly powdered. Combine with the granulated sugar, salt, onion powder, granulated garlic, cayenne, black pepper, mustard, chili powder, cumin and paprika in a bowl and hand stir until well incorporated. Store in an airtight container.
• For the BBQ mother sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low if the onion is cooking too fast--you don't want it caramelized or browned. As the onion is getting close, add the garlic and cook until lightly golden, about 2 minutes longer. Add the ketchup, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, dry mustard, cayenne and black pepper and stir well. Slowly add up to 1/2 cup water until the sauce reaches the consistency you like. A slightly thick consistency is best. Add about 3 tablespoons of the basic BBQ rub, stir well and taste. The sauce should have a good, well-rounded flavor. Add more of the basic BBQ rub in 1-tablespoon increments until your desired flavor is achieved, up to about 1/2 cup total. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
• For the ribs: Rinse the ribs and remove the membrane from the back. Trim any excess fat from the tops of the slabs. Trim 1 bone from the large end of the ribs and 2 bones from the small end. This will give you a much more consistent slab for cooking.
• Starting on the backs, sprinkle the slabs of ribs with approximately 1/2 tablespoon of the basic BBQ rub each, then add 1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard each and massage into the meat. Flip the ribs over and repeat. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. For a contest, I marinate ribs like this for 12 to 16 hours.
• Prepare a smoker to run at 225 degrees F with around 4 chunks of apple wood and 4 chunks of cherry wood so that the wood will smolder throughout the cooking. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator, unwrap and repeat the basic BBQ rub and mustard procedure, massaging them in. Don't get it too thick or paste-like, as this will give you a dark appearance when cooked. Place the ribs in the smoker meat-side up and cook for 2 hours. Remove the ribs from the smoker and increase the temperature to 250 degrees F. Apply the basic BBQ rub and mustard to both sides of the ribs as before. On the top sides, slather approximately 1 tablespoon of honey over the surface of each slab, then sprinkle heavily with the turbinado sugar. Lay each slab of ribs meat-side up on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and fold up the edges. Pour approximately 1 to 2 ounces of the grape juice into the bottom of each foil package, then finish wrapping the ribs but don't crimp the edges--you want steam to be able to escape.
• Return the ribs to the cooker for 2 hours, then test for tenderness. (I cook ribs in this stage until they look overdone and too tender. Don't worry, they'll tighten up. If they still have too much texture, leave them in for 20 to 30 more minutes.) Remove the ribs from the cooker, open the foil and drain off the liquid. Using the foil as a tool, "roll" the ribs over so the bone side is up, glaze with the BBQ mother sauce, then roll them back over and glaze the tops. Using long tongs, carefully remove the ribs from the foil and place them back in the smoker for 15 minutes. This will let the glaze cook onto the ribs and let the ribs tighten back up. Remove from the cooker and allow to rest for 5 minutes, apply a very thin coat of sauce to "glisten" the ribs, then lightly sprinkle with chipotle powder before serving.

BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Tear off 4 pieces of aluminum foil big enough to enclose each portion of ribs. Spray each piece of foil with vegetable cooking spray. Brush the ribs liberally with barbeque sauce and place each portion in its own piece of foil. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Bake ribs wrapped tightly in the foil at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from foil and add more sauce, if desired.

THE BEST BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Place ribs bone side down in a large roasting pan on a rack (if you have one, you don't have to use rack)
• Combine garlic powder, seasoning salt, and pepper. Sprinkle over the ribs. Top with sliced onions. Cover tightly and bake at 350 for 2 1/2 hours.
• In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and this is your sauce.
• Remove ribs from pan, remove onions and discard, and drain fat. Put ribs back in pan and brush ribs liberally with sauce. Cover and bake 25 minutes longer. Uncover and cook 5 more minutes. Serve with remaining sauce.
• You can reduce the amount of ribs if you are cooking for a smaller group. I usually use 2 racks to serve 4.

OUR BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Line a jelly roll pan with foil.
• Cut sinew off the back of the ribs.
• Lay ribs onto foil and add 3/4 cup water.
• Cover with foil.
• Bake for 3 hours.
• Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees.
• Remove foil from ribs; add your favorite barbecue sauce to ribs.
• Bake for another 30 minutes, or longer.

QUICK AND EASY BABY BACK RIBS

Steps:

• Mix the rub with the brown sugar.
• Remove the silver skin from the back side of the ribs.
• On a large piece of aluminum foil, shiney side up, place the ribs and pat the mixture ensuring you coat every inch of the ribs.
• wrap the ribs tightly with foil, ensuring you have tight seams and place in the fridge for two hours or overnight.
• When ready to cook, preheat oven to 250. Place ribs in large baking dish and cook for 3 hours.
• Take ribs out of the overnand remove foil.
• finish off on the grill or place back in the oven without foil and cook an additional 20 minutes.Slather with BBQ sauce.