Oven BBQ Ribs

Unless you have access to a first class butcher, skip using beef back ribs and go for the short ribs. I have yet to see a rack of beef back ribs in a "supermarket" that wasn't absent virtually all meat--aka "shiners" cuz nothing bone shows. Better yet, go for pork ribs--spares or baby backs. Beef back ribs do work well for making beef stock, assuming they are priced at less than $2/pound.

I have tried every known method to cook ribs, the rub here looks great, but the easy way is to get an aluminum pan ($ tree 1.25) lay the ribs meat side down, pour BBQ sauce over the top, cover the pan tightly with foil, cook at 350 for 1 hour, the meat will fall off the bone!

I always make pork ribs using this method. 300 degrees for about 2 hours, maybe 2.5 if you have St Louis cut spare ribs. The trick is to dry rub and wrap them tightly in foil. When you remove them from the oven, leave them wrapped and rest for at least an hour before unwrapping. They will hold their juices this way. You can even refrigerate them for the next day. Unwrap, brush with BBQ sauce and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

I’ve found St Louis cut pork ribs to be the meatiest and the tastiest of the pork ribs. They are often available at Costco and Trader Joe’s. Baby backs usually don’t have enough meat on the bone and they aren’t as tasty IMHO.

I remember the year when Carson's, a fabled Chicago restaurant, won a national cook-off to win the accolade of best ribs in the U.S. Visit their web site and you will learn that their ribs (and mine) are "NOT “fall-off-the-bone”. They are tender and juicy, but not so overcooked that the bones become surplus. For the real beef or pork rib eaters amongst us, the bones remain as God intended -- handles.

No need to oil the ribs before the rub. Dry rub should be dry and better to do the rub several hours or overnight before baking. Can finish with sauce in the oven as stated or on a direct heat grill if you like a bit of char.

You can't beat pork ribs, baby back or St. Louis spare style, available at Costco. Rub heavily with dry rub (I use Butt Rub--yes, that's the name). Wrap in foil, bake for 3 hours at 275 for 2 racks (slightly less for 1, slightly more for 3). 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, pour off fat, open top of the foil and place on grill at medium low heat. Slather with your favorite barbecue sauce, leave on for 15-20 minutes until the sauce carmelizes. Foolproof.

I'm a Texan and I despise "falling off the bone" comments. It means that I despise mushy ribs.

No one who knows barbecuing or competes in barbecue challenges would ever cook ribs until the meat is separating from the bone. Those are over-cooked ribs.

Great recipe and works as well in a smoker. To make them ahead of time cook them until done and they can stay in foil for a couple of hours or in the fridge if longer. When ready to serve use the broiler or grill to heat them up with the BBQ sauce in only a few minutes. Like a brisket beef ribs can take much longer than pork ribs to cook. 200 internal degrees may not be enough. You have to feel or probe the meat until its completely tender.

"Make sure to watch Millie in action. She's a delight." So says Melissa Clark in the NYT Cooking NL today re the video for this recipe. I say "Ain't it the truth." I discovered Millie a year or so ago via a NYT Cooking video. Fun to watch making good down-home food. (Check out her macaroni salad as one.) We don't eat beef but this video makes me wish we did. I'll use the rub on other things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5Qa6r5I-0E

I do them all. Good quality beef ribs are the very best, I use Bullseye sauceBaby backs are most people’s favorites. I use Jack Stack sauce from KC. I like St. Louis spares but they’re not that meaty. Key for all is the rub you use. Make it to your own liking or use a commercial one you love. I make my own but there are many I really like. Don’t make them falling off the bone. Get a good bark with good tooth. You’ll lose any competition if yours fall off the bone.

I cook my ribs this exact way and my friends and family love them. Ribs in the pan, place foil over and seal well to the edge of the pan. The goal is to seal in all the juices. When removing the pan from the oven be careful not to tip the pan until you are over the sink, then carefully pry the foil at one corner avoiding the cloud of steam that will be released. Then pour the juices out of the pan. Now you're ready for your sauce.

I made this recipe using drumsticks and chicken thighs. The chicken was so tender, so delicious, and so easy to make for a crowd. This is going to be a go to for me from now on.