Texas Style Pork Baby Back Ribs
Now that the sun is starting to stay out late again, it’s time to start bringing out the grill. What better way to start grilling season than to grill up some texas style baby back ribs! Unlike the BBQ Pit Masters on TV, I don’t own a smoker (yet). Although I can’t say that there is any substitute for some good old “low and slow” smoked baby back ribs, starting them in the oven, then finish on the grill is the next best thing if done right!
Prepping
We’ll start off with making the dry rub, then while the ribs are cooking in the oven getting the sauce (and any side dishes) ready. The nice thing about this recipe is a lot of down time during the cooking process that allows you to get other things done while the main course is making the house smell delicious!
If you want prep the ribs the night before to allow the rub to really sink into the meat.
If you’re also looking to do these straight on the grill rather then pre-cooking in the oven, you might want to check this recipe.
The Sauce
The sauce included in the recipe compliments this ribs very well. This is a Texas style sauce which means they are sweet, tangy and with a little heat. gives a great flavor to the ribs! If you want a thicker sauce cook down for about 30-40 minutes, 15-25 gives it a thinner consistency, but it’s really all about personal taste!
The Grill
For this recipe I recommend using a charcoal grill with wood coal if possible. It give the ribs a little more of a smokey smell to them as you bite in. If you have a propane grill, using some wood chips works well too! I did a similar rib recipe using a propane grill over here.
On To The Recipe
Texas Style Pork Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients
Texas Dry Rub
- 1/3 cup chili powder
- 1/3 cup golden brown sugar
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1/4 cup black pepper
- 2 tbsp ground mustard
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp garlic salt
- 1 tbsp paprika
Texas Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce
- 15 oz canned tomato sauce
- 1 cup golden brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cayanne pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/8 tsp salt
The Meat
- 2 lbs baby back ribs
Instructions
Getting Ready
- Preheat the oven to 325 F
- Combine all the spices for your Texas Dry Rub
- This is optional, but I threw mine in a blender because the brown sugar was a little clumpy. looks pretty evenly mixed to me!
Prepare the Ribs
- Remove the membrane on the back of your ribs. You may need to get a knife in between the membrane and the meet to get it going, but once you have a grip on it it will come right off.
- Your ribs should now look like this after removing the membrane.
- Give each slab a nice coating of rub on each side.
- Wrap them up in tin foil and place on a cookie sheet and place in the center rack of your oven for 2 hours. Note: my ribs are in half slabs just because I have a smaller grill. Feel free to keep them in whatever size you're comfortable with.
Making the BBQ Sauce
- Bring the water, brown sugar to a boil. About 10 minutes
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together
- Let this cook on medium heat, stirring frequently for about 20-30 minutes. Set aside.
Grill the RIbs
- Time your grill so that it's ready to go by the time your get your ribs out. usually takes me about 20-30 minutes to get my charcoal grill ready.
- With the grill nice and hot (about 350-400ish) place your ribs on the grill meat side up. Baste with a generous layer of bbq sauce
- About every 5 minutes, flip the ribs and baste. Do this for about 20 minutes total. You'll have a nice char going on the ribs and the sauce should start to thicken up
- Take them off the grill and let them sit for about 5-10 minutes, Cut them into strips and serve!
