Buddy B Style Baby Back Ribs

I know the pics look like crap here. Please click to enlarge

I know you’re all dying to hear about the arrest, but I’m not going to give it to you yet. Instead, I’m giving away a perfected recipe originally learned by our ol’ pal Buddy B. Ribs have this stigma that they’re hard to cook. Unless you’re black or from the south, you can’t cook good ribs. Well it shouldn’t be that way. I’ve learned a way that ANYONE can do. I can’t take credit for the technique, but I have done my homework, worked it over, and have came out with some of the best ribs north of the Mason Dixon.

Ingredients:

• 2 racks Baby Back ribs
• spices (lots of them)
• 2-2L Gingerale (I use Vernors)
• BBQ sass
• 1 medium onion

I’m starting with 2 racks of baby back ribs. Before we even think about a rub, we must take care of the back membrane. In the picture below, you will see a horizontal cut along the length of the ribs. This is the butcher removing the membrane. This membrane is EXTREMELY tough, and unless removed, will make for some pretty crappy ribs. If it’s on, be sure to get a sharp knife, and get to cutting. It may take a while if you’ve never done it before. Do it though, this is IMPORTANT!

Next we move to a rub. Some people like it wet, or marinade style, some like a dry rub. I’m a dry rub type of guy. You won’t get quite the flavor penetration that you would get from a wet rub, but you will get a better crust on the ribs. Plus, if done right, the flavor of the ribs will be good enough. On these ribs below, I have a combination: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon. Don’t worry about the cinnamon, it will not make your BBQ sweet. It helps to balance flavors, and you’ll see it used in a lot of dry rub recipes. Cumin is also very important as is has a great smoky flavor. On that note, buy good Cumin, don’t let the temptation to get the cheap ass Kroger stuff get to you. Good Garlic Powder may not be a lot better that the crappy stuff, but good cumin is WAAYYY better than the crappy stuff. Anyways, below is what we’re looking at.

Let this sit overnight. Take them out of the fridge the next day, and put them into some baking dishes. I have to cut them in half to fit them, but just get them in. I know that I’m using metal , but the ideal baking dish for this is going to be glass or some ceramic. It should also be high enough to completely cover the ribs.

So, loosely chop one medium sized onion, and put in the bottom of the dishes, then put the ribs on top.

Put the dishes in your oven at 300° and here comes the Buddy B style. Pour gingerale (yes gingerale) into each baking dish until the ribs are covered, or you’re at the top. For these two racks, I used almost 2-2L bottles (Vernors I might add).

Let the ribs cook in the oven at 300° for about an hour, then about 250-275° for another 2-2.5 hours. At this point, the end ribs should start to pull away from the bone. We’re not done yet! Take the ribs out, and heat up your outside grill to high, and throw them suckers on meat side down. Take this time to brush on your favorite BBQ sauce (I’m using homemake stuff of course). Let the ribs sear for about 3-4 minutes, turn and repeat.

You have now made some of the most delicious ribs you’ll ever eat. My buddy Joe doesn’t really like ribs, and he ate like a whole rack. I wish I could take pictures with a camera instead of my phone, these really don’t do them justice. Anyways, the BBQ sass is somewhat important, so choose wisely, but most importantly, enjoy!