Take advantage of the long summer days to gather family and friends and grill some mouth watering baby back ribs!
One of the best things about summer are the warm evenings, good friends and delicious food right off the grill. These oven-baked then grilled baby back ribs are a family favorite and are simple to put together. You can get the ribs in the oven and make the barbecue sauce a day ahead so all you have to do is put them on the grill to get some of that tasty toasted sauce on the ribs.
Make sure to remove the membrane (or silver skin) from the back of the pork ribs.
No one likes chewy ribs and if the membrane is not removed it will prevent the seasonings from penetrating the meat. A lot of packaged ribs already have the membrane removed, but if it’s not, don’t fret, it’s pretty easy. You can also ask the butcher to do it for you!!
• Flip the ribs over-bones toward you to reveal the membrane. It’s a piece of tissue that is thin, shiny and nearly see through
• Slide your finger or a butter knife underneath the membrane to lift up a piece to grab
• Grab the piece with a paper towel to help hold on to it (it’s slippery!) and once you have a good grip, begin to pull up and across the ribs. Do this slowly but firmly. If it tears off, continue to grab and pull up and across until you get it all off. Discard the membrane.
• Now you’re ready to apply the rub
Short on time?
You can rub and bake the ribs and make the barbecue sauce a day ahead. All that’s left is putting some barbecue sauce on the ribs and warming them up on the grill. They’ll be ready in 10 minutes!
Baby Back Ribs with Espresso Barbecue Sauce
Equipment
- Half sheet pan with rack I use these super versatile pans for so lots of baking and roasting
- Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt This is the salt I use for everyday cooking and baking
- Non-slip Cutting Board These plastic cutting boards are non-slip and are dishwasher safe
Ingredients
Rub for the Ribs
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
- 1½ tablespoons Smoked Paprika
- 1½ tablespoons Mexican-style chili powder
- 1 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoons Onion Powder
- 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper
- 3 racks Baby Back Pork Ribs
Expresso Barbecue Sauce
- 1 Bottle 18-ounces, good-quality barbecue sauce I like Sweet Baby Rays
- 1 can 12-ounces dark beer Substitution: Chicken stock
- ½ cup Water
- 2 tablespoons Golden brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon Instant espresso powder
Instructions
Make the ribs
- Remove the membrane or silver skin from the back of the pork ribs (see notes). A lot of packaged ribs already have this removed.
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Whisk the rub ingredients together in a small bowl to blend. Rub the spice mixture all over the ribs and place on a baking sheet pan or shallow baking pan.
- In a medium sauce pan, boil the beer until it's reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour the beer around (not over) the ribs. Cover the pan tightly with heavy duty foil and bake for 90 minutes.
To make the barbecue sauce
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the barbecue sauce, ½ cup water, the brown sugar, and espresso powder. Simmer until flavors blend and sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
- NOTE: The ribs and barbecue sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover separately and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature to continue.
To barbecue the ribs
- Prepare the barbecue to medium heat. Brush the ribs with some of the barbecue sauce. Grill the ribs just until heated through and have a little char, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Transfer the ribs to a butting board and cut apart. Place ribs on a platter and serve with remaining barbecue sauce.
