Description[]
Source: THE BIG BOOK OF BACKYARD COOKING - BETTY ROSBOTTOM
I grew up in Memphis, often called the Barbecue Capital of the United States, and have tasted myriad versions of barbecued ribs. This recipe, in which ribs are slow-baked in the oven rather than cooked over an open fire, is a personal favorite. The secret to their great taste is the homemade barbecue sauce, created years ago by my late father-in-law, a Southerner celebrated for his barbecued ribs. The ribs, brushed with the homemade sauce, are baked for a couple of hours until their outsides are crusty and brown and the meat beneath moist and succulent.
Ingredients[]
- 1 double recipe of Deep South Barbecue Sauce
- 6 1½-pound slabs baby back pork ribs (9 pounds total)
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
Directions[]
- Arrange one rack in middle position of oven and another rack in lower third of oven.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Reserve 1 cup of the barbecue sauce to serve with ribs.
- Rinse ribs and pat dry with paper towels.
- Score white membrane on underside with a knife.
- Place a flat roasting rack in each of 2 large roasting pans.
- Brush ribs on both sides with vinegar.
- Season ribs generously on both sides with salt, black pepper, and cayenne and leave meaty-side up on roasting racks in pans.
- Brush both sides of ribs with some of the barbecue sauce and put in the oven.
- Baste top of ribs every 30 minutes with some of the barbecue sauce.
- After 45 minutes, reverse the pans, placing the pan on the middle rack on the lower rack, and vice versa.
- Cover ribs loosely with aluminum foil if they start to brown too quickly.
- Roast until ribs are a rich dark brown and tender when pierced with a knife, 1½ to 1¾ hours.
- When done, place ribs on a large platter.
- Heat reserved barbecue sauce and any remaining basting sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat, until bubbling.
- Pass warmed sauce to drizzle over each serving of ribs.
YIELD: SERVES 6 WITH 1 FULL SLAB PER PERSON, OR 12 WITH ½ SLAB PER PERSON