I have a pretty good deal on baby back ribs, I have been baking them in the oven for about 2 hours. First 30 minutes at 150 C with the fan on. Then I flip them over and do them for another hour until the meat is falling off the bone at 110 C still with the fan on.

Here are the recipes I have tried.

Maple ribs.
half cup maple syrup
two tea spoons paprika
one half tea spoon salt
one half tea spoon Mrs Dash
one half tea spoon chili powder
one half tea spoon black pepper

Notes: I basted these at the one hour mark with more maple syrup.
Ok, but too hot for my kids to eat. Not the best, but better than the same recipe with white sugar. Someone who likes sweet and heat would love these.

half cup white sugar
two tea spoons paprika
one half tea spoon salt
one half tea spoon Mrs Dash
one half tea spoon chili powder
one half tea spoon black pepper

Notes:
Below average but edible. Don't do it. Basted with home made mustard bbq sauce, just edible.

Brown Sugar, the way pork was meant to be.
half cup brown sugar
two tea spoons paprika
one half tea spoon salt
one half tea spoon Mrs Dash
one half tea spoon chili powder
one half tea spoon black pepper

Notes: these are freaking awesome. Basted with home made mustard-bbq sauce

Italian guys
half cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic pounded and minced
two tea spoons paprika
one half tea spoon salt
one half tea spoon Mrs Dash
one half tea spoon chili powder
one half tea spoon black pepper

Very average, they don't need any extra fat. Garlic and pork isn't all that great.



I am convinced that I have the spices pretty figured out. I need to drop the chili powder so the kids will eat them. Maybe that is all they need. My goal is a no-sauce rib you are dying to eat.
two tea spoons paprika
one half tea spoon salt
one half tea spoon Mrs Dash
one half tea spoon chili powder
one half tea spoon black pepper

I smoked 3 racks of them the other day. They turned out great.
I cut them into about 3 bone pieces and liberally cover the meat side with Famous Dave's rib rub and brown sugar. Let it sit for a few hours or overnight.
Smoke with apple wood for around 4 hours at around 200 degrees spritzing with cherry coke about every hour. When the color looks good, put it in a foil covered pan with the rest of the cherry coke and bake at 200 until it is time to eat.

I don't have a smoker, and BBQing outdoors in Germany is problematic. In the town I live in you are only allowed to do it five times a year, and most people bitch about it even then.

Nothing like having the cops called on you for BBQing too much.

I did the crockpot on a set, as recommended by some friends. Not impressed.

If you are unable to use a smoker, then I would suggest dry-roasting them in a slow oven.

Most of this is also good practice for "regular' barbecue or smoking of ribs, but here are my recommendations for cooking ribs in oven:

1. Trim the membrane off the "back" side of the ribs, where the bones are. This helps rub or seasoning penetrate better, and makes for "cleaner" eating of the ribs.

2. There are some good marinades that you can employ, including a very, very good Spanish one, and an outstanding Mexican (Yucatan) one - but first I would recommend getting a basic "method" established before trying a marinade; there will always be time to experiment!

3. If you have access to liquid smoke, go ahead and brush some on; I know that this is frowned upon, but I've tried it in situations where I couldn't smoke the ribs, and it was just fine. Liquid smoke is kind of like Brylcreem: just a little bit will work. Brush it on evenly, on both sides.

4. Brush the ribs with a thin layer of mustard before applying seasoning. This is not so much to give them a mustard flavor; rather, it tends to act as a conduit drawing the flavor of the rub or seasoning into the meat. It also helps with a good formation of a "crust" on the outside. The ribs will NOT taste "mustardy," if that is a concern. With the many wonderful choices you must have in Germany, I'd say use your favourite mustard; however, I have had best results with plain, yellow mustard. If for some reason you have no mustard or have a serious aversion to using it, olive oil would be a good substitute.

5. You can use any seasoning or rub that you want; to begin with, use something you are familiar with and like. If you want to try "making your own," I have had good success with equal parts of these ingredients:

Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Good-quality Hungarian paprika (actually, you might want to double the paprika )

It is not absolutely necessary, but do consider adding one part sugar to the mix above. I recommend Trubinado (raw) sugar, as it is less likely to scorch, but brown sugar is just fine; just be aware that your ribs might have a dark "burned" look, but they will taste just fine.

You can also, if you like, add some chili powder, cumin, oregano, or any other herb/spice that you might want to try, in equal proportion; however, I do recommend keeping it simple, unless you have something that you already really like.

6. If you can, do all of the prep work above the night before; cover the ribs and put them in the refrigerator over-night. This is not totally necessary, but it is good for flavor development and aroma, in my opinion.

7. Dry roast them in the centre of the oven on a rack. I recommend a pan underneath to catch drips; you can add water to the pan, if you'd like - I've tried it both ways with fine results either way. Oven temperatures should be about 240 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit; I generally start with 240 for the first half of cooking, then switch to higher temperature toward the end, which helps with good formation of crust on the ribs. The amount of time necessary will vary, but should probably be between 3 and 5 hours, depending on type of ribs as well as their individual characteristics (some racks or ribs are simply "ornery"). While the ribs are cooking, you can brush them periodically - on both sides) with the fat that is rendering off of them; I recommend cooking them at least 90 minutes before doing this, so that the rub is set well.

8. If desired, you can brush a sauce or glaze on the ribs toward the latter stages of cooking. Be aware that tomato- or sugar-based sauces will scorch after a period of time. What I have done, with good success, is to use a glaze that is applied in thin layers over the last hour of cooking, say every 15 minutes, with a final brushing as you pull them out of the oven. These thin layers will bake onto the meat for a dry finish that is very good. The glaze is very simple and consists of:

1/2 cup yellow mustard
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup of brown sugar

Heat these ingredients on the stove sometime while you are cooking the ribs, stirring them until well blended, melted and incorporated - but do not cook them too long, or they might burn. Remove the glaze from the heat and allow to cool - then brush it on in thin layers as described above during the last hour of cooking. If you have any left over, the glaze makes a good sauce, too.

Properly cooked ribs should not "fall of the bone;" they should cling to the bone just enough to require a slight "tug" when eating them. The fat should be well-rendered; there should be a crusty outside and a tender inside.

I hope that this gives a few ideas that might help. There are a couple of other "tricks" - including the use of marinade - that can be of good use, but this should be a very good, solid method to establish a base. Once you have this down - feel free to experiment with different flavor profiles etc. I am very fond of profiles from all over the world, including Greek, Mexican, Spanish, Chinese, Hawaiian, Caribbean and others - but the good, old Southern-style American barbecue can't be beat. Ironically, I haven't yet found a "German profile" for cooking ribs, but would be interested if you have any suggestions; I am guessing that salt, pepper and a few well-chosen spices might be involved, but do not know.

If you have any questions, just ask - and please keep us informed of your progress ~

Cheers -

Ron

Well I'd say go with the "awesome" recipe. There are as many rib recipes as Carters has Liver Pills. I brown and turn down the grill heat then cook indirect until they fall off the bone. Sauce is a personal preference. With a gas grill I throw 2-3 chunks of wood charcoal over the indirect burner and place the meat on the opposite side. Can't tell the difference from charcoal cooked.

quote:

Brown Sugar, the way pork was meant to be.

half cup brown sugar
two tea spoons paprika
one half tea spoon salt
one half tea spoon Mrs Dash
one half tea spoon chili powder
one half tea spoon black pepper

Notes: these are freaking awesome. Basted with home made mustard-bbq sauce

This does look good, for sure ~ The only thing I would suggest is to try using that turbinado sugar mentioned above, as well as the mustard/brown sugar/vinegar glaze in thin layers.

Going to try it tonight!

Thanks!

Yep mustard worked wonders.

I am going to keep working on this until I get it perfect.