My kids love to eat ribs. It’s become one of their favorite things to eat in the warm summer months, when it’s too hot to cook inside and the grill must be fired up. I could swear I’ve posted about this recipe before and talked about it before, but wouldn’t you know, I can’t really find it. So here it is again.
Trust me on this one- follow the directions and you really can’t screw it up. The ribs end up juicy and succulent and oh my goodness good. I do use the beer called for- and I would miss it if I left it off. I normally don’t care for beer, so that says a bit. If you really have a problem using the beer- I would suggest using a ginger ale maybe- you’d get a different flavor, but it would still be good. These Fall-Off-The-Bone Baby Back Ribs are so good and so foolproof. They’re one of the best things to come out of Sara Foster’s cookbook Fresh Every Day, and I hope if you have ribs on the menu at all, that you’ll give this one a try. As an additional note, I have tried this with spare ribs as well. They ended up a little tough, so if you want to try spare ribs, I suggest giving them longer in the roasting pan- maybe an extra 30 minutes or so. The spare ribs are actually more flavorful than the baby backs, so it would be worth trying again.
Fall-Off-The-Bone Baby Back Ribs
from Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster
serves 4 to 6
2 slabs baby back ribs (about 3 1/2 pounds) 1 large onion, sliced 1 12-ounce bottle of beer Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 2 cups barbecue sauce1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. To remove the membrane from the back of the ribs, rake a small dull knife, like an oyster or table knife, and pry the tip of the knife between the membrane and bone at the edge of the ribs in the center of the slab. Lift to separate the membrane from the bone, then grab the membrane with your fingers and pull it off and discard.
3. Spread the onion slices evenly on a baking sheet with sides and place the ribs, bone side down, on top. Pour the beer over the ribs, season with salt and pepper, and cover tightly with foil. Bake undisturbed for 2 hours.
4. Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill and let the coals burn to a gray ash with a faint red glow, or until you can hold your hand 3 to 4 inches above the fire for no more than 6 seconds.
5. Brush both sides of the ribs with the barbecue sauce and place them, meat side down, over the coals. Grill the ribs for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly charred, basting several times. Turn the ribs and baste the cooked side liberally. Close the lid of the grill and cook the ribs 10 to 15 minutes longer, basting often. Cut the slabs into individual ribs, pile them onto a large platter and serve warm