[redforever]

Slow Baked Ribs




4-5 lb. rack of extra meaty pork ribs, preferably St. Louis style


Dry Rub:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup paprika
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/3 cup granulated garlic
1 Tbsp cayenne powder
1/3 cup Kosher salt
1 Tbsp black pepper, ground
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 Tbsp Creole seasoning (optional)

Mix together. Left over rub can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Mutha Sauce:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, finely diced
4 large cloves garlic, finely minced
28 oz. tomato sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup cayenne pepper sauce
1/4 cup spicy brown seedy mustard
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
2 tsp each of salt and ground pepper
1 tsp allspice, ground

Add the oil to a saucepan and warm on medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and sauté another minute or so. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for ten minutes. Cool the sauce and puree in a blender. This makes a large amount of sauce - around 10 cups.

I usually make half a recipe and divide into three equal amounts. I keep one amount covered in the refrigerator and freeze the other two amounts.

Preparation of the Ribs:
You must first remove the skin membrane from the back of the ribs. If you do not remove it, the spices cannot penetrate the meat from this side. The membrane is also tough, not very pleasant to eat.

With a bread knife, not a sharp paring knife, loosen the membrane from one end of the rack of ribs, usually the skinnier end is easiest. Use a paper towel to grip the membrane as it is very slippery to pull off with your bare hands. Pull off the membrane, it usually will come off in one piece. If not, try to remove as much of the remaining membrane as you possibly can.





You will require around 3/4 cup of the rub spices. Place the ribs on plastic wrap and rub all over with the spices. Cover the ribs in the plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 225F. Place the ribs on a rack on a cookie sheet or in a roasting pan. If you lightly grease the pan, it makes cleanup easier. Pour 1/2 half cup water into the bottom of the roasting pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake the ribs for 8 hours. Remove from the oven.

You will need around 2/3 cup of the Mutha sauce. You can use it on its own or mix it half and half with your favorite bought barbecue sauce.

Heat the grill on high for ten minutes and then reduce heat to medium. The ribs are now falling-off-the-bone tender so you need to be careful when transferring them to the grill. Place the ribs on the grill, close the lid of the grill, and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the ribs carefully, close and cook for another 5 minutes. Flip again and brush the top of the ribs with Mutha sauce, close and grill for 5 minutes. Flip the ribs one last time, brush the top with more sauce, close and grill for 5 minutes. Ribs should be nicely browned but not blackened. To serve, cut the rack into individual ribs or small sections of ribs.

You could also finish the ribs in the oven. Heat the oven to 400F and place the ribs on a rack on a baking sheet. Continue as above. If you finish the ribs in the oven, they won’t be as browned as on the barbecue. Also, the heat in the oven will not be as direct as on the barbecue so you might have to bake them a few more minutes at each step.

When you make these ribs, you need to plan ahead. Give yourself at least a day for this recipe. After getting rubbed, the ribs sit in the refrigerator for quite some time. Then the ribs go into a slow oven for 8 more hours and finally they are barbecued and served.

Note: If you wish to streamline the process a bit, prepare the ribs and apply the spice rub the night before. Cover the ribs in saran and allow them to marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Then start slow baking them in the morning. If you do not have quite this amount of time, you could bake the ribs at 300F for half the recommended time.

You could also slow bake and smoke the ribs in the barbecue. You would have to do it with indirect heat, so ribs on one side, flame on other. They will not take as long in the barbecue, 1/3 to 1/2 the time before you start basting.