My Perfect BBQ Baby Back Pork Ribs – Part 2. In part one, I covered what cuts of pork ribs you can use and a Kansas-style rub to help build up layers of flavour. In this second part, I am going to look at the best way to cook the prepared ribs. If you want to finish the ribs with a sauce, I recommend a recipe by Walter Jetton, the self-styled Barbecue King. Jetton cooked regularly for President Lyndon B. Johnson when he was entertaining at his Texas ranch.
You can roast your ribs quite quickly at around 400 F / 200 C / Gas mark 6 for an hour. You will get a nice caramelised result but the meat will not fall off the bone. Pitmasters will use the low heat and smoke from the embers of their charcoal fires to smoke and roast their ribs. This is done in covered pits or barbecue broilers. So exactly how long do we need to cook our ribs?
How to cook the Perfect Ribs, Go low and slow
Harold McGee is a scientist who has done more, perhaps than anyone else, to bring empirical science to the kitchen. He has analysed recipes and corrected many cookery myths. In his ‘ The Curious Cook ‘ column in the New York Times, he advised the slow cooking of ribs to reduce moisture loss. He suggested baking them for six to eight hours at an oven temperature of ninety-five centigrade. The downside to this technique is that it uses specialist equipment. So in a home kitchen, we need to find a compromise.
What to drink with BBQ Pork Back Ribs?
With so many potential flavour variations, I would pair BBQ ribs with a palate-cleansing crisp Continental lager or a dry New World sparkling wine or fruit-packed rosé.
My recipe to cook the Perfect Ribs
With slow cooking, the result is incredibly tender meat that falls off the bone. So, if you do not have a huge, fancy American all-singing and dancing grill and broiler, do not worry. You can braise them in the oven with the following recipe. This recipe is cooked at a temperature a little higher than the really slow-cooked ribs. As a bonus, it uses just about any flavourings you wish. You can just substitute your personal choice for rub and barbecue sauce.
My Perfect BBQ Baby back Pork Ribs
Equipment
- 1 large deep-sided roasting tray
Ingredients
- 4 Racks of Baby Back Pork Ribs
- 200 ml BBQ Sauce
- 4 tablespoons Rib rub
Instructions
- Ask your butcher to remove the membrane on the back of the racks which is often left on and can be tough. Wash off your ribs and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
- Place in a large tray and liberally sprinkle on both sides with a dry rub or just plenty of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper if you prefer. Work the rub into the meat with your fingers and cover and refrigerate for two to four hours to allow the flavours of the rub to develop, you can leave them up to twelve hours preparing them the day before cooking.
- Preheat your oven to 275 F / 140 C / Gas mark 1. Transfer the ribs to a deep baking tray and pour in sufficient water to cover the bottom of the tray to a depth of about one centimetre. Place the ribs, meat side down, in baking dishes.
- Cover the baking dishes with silver foil and place in the oven. This will cook the ribs by braising them in the own juices with the rub flavourings and help keep the meat moist.
- If your racks are trimmed and quite small check them after about three and a half hours. The meat should be very tender, if not replace the cover and return to the oven for another half an hour.
- Carefully drain off the cooking liquor, which can be used as a stock in spicy bean soup and cover the ribs with barbecue sauce. Turn up the oven to 350 F / 180 C / Gas mark 4 and cook for twenty to thirty more minutes so that the sauce is bubbling and sticky and nicely caramelised.
- Alternatively, when the ribs are cooked you can let them cool in the barbecue sauce then reheat them under a grill or on a chargrill or barbecue, turning often to prevent the sugars in the barbecue sauce from burning. The barbecue gives a wonderful smoky finish.
Notes
Allergens in this recipe depend on rub and sauce recipes
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