Barbequed Baby Back Ribs

Our Fourth of July menu included these scrumptious ribs. I used the recipes from The New Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated and the cooking method described by Hope Studios in her post here. I'm not sure why ribs intimidate me, but this method is so easy that I'll never hesitate to make them again. The rub and sauce recipes make enough for lots of ribs, so I'll be cooking these again before the summer is through. Perfect sides to serve with this are corn-on-the-cob and coleslaw - and maybe some Rosemary Oven-Roasted Potatoes. Happy Grilling!

Dry Rub for Barbeque
from The Best New Recipe by Cook's Illustrated
Makes 1 cup

Mix all of the following ingredients in a small bowl.
1/4 cup sweet paprika
2 T chili powder
2 T ground cumin
2 T dark brown sugar
2 T salt
1 T dried oregano
1 T granulated sugar
1 T ground black pepper
1 T ground white pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Quick Barbeque Sauce
from The Best New Recipe by Cook's Illustrated
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup water
1 cup ketchup
2 T cider vinegar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T Dijon mustard
5 T molasses
1 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke, optional (I omitted)
2 T vegetable oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Process the onion with the water in a food processor until pureed and the mixture resembles slush, about 30 seconds. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula to obtain 1/2 cup juice. Discard the solids.
2. Whisk the onion juice, ketchup, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, liquid smoke (if using), hot pepper sauce, and black pepper together in a medium bowl.
3. Heat the oil in a large nonreactive saucepan over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the ketchup mixture and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, uncovered, until the flavors meld and the sauce is thickened, about 25 minutes. Cool the sauce to room temperature before using. (The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.)

The Cooking Method
adapted from Jennifer at Hope Studios

Place about 1 T of dry rub on each side of the baby back ribs and rub it in with your fingertips. Wrap the ribs tightly in heavy duty foil and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight. Bake the ribs in foil in the oven set at 325 degrees F for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and place on your grill set at medium heat for 20 minutes. Brush with barbeque sauce and cook another 5 minutes on each side. Serve with extra BBQ sauce.