8 At Our Table: BBQ Ribs

Real talk time, it's Summer - my absolute favorite season (well, other than Fall), and I openly admit my food photography goes down the tubes during the Summer but, I kinda like that about me.  When the sunshine calls I tend to drop those 3 blueberries I was going to arrange oh-so-artfully next to a colorful plate I found on sale at HomeGoods, and head right outside.  Hang in there, I promise I return to my fairly decent food photography self soon.  And just because I can, I'm going to call these kinds of posts "At Our Table", because well...more than likely you're seeing my real life dinner plate in all it's glory.  

It was Sunday morning, I looked over at my hubs and randomly asked, "wanna make ribs?" I was met with an excited look and emphatic "yes!"  Neither of us had ever made ribs before, it was high on our foodie bucket list.  Do you have a foodie bucket list?  It's so much fun.

We quickly figured out we had just enough time to pick up the ribs and still eat at a decent hour.  Ribs, I learned, take time.  First there's the sitting with the rub for at least 2 hours.  Then there's the good ol' low and slow grill time, which for us worked out to roughly 2 1/2-3 hours, which in the land of BBQ really isn't that bad.  Oh man, I'd totally live in the land of BBQ.

These turned out fantastic!   They were tender, flavorful, smoky...everything you want out of bbq.  I think my guy is hooked too, I heard him muttering something about apple juice next time.

BBQ Ribs

Ingredients:
2 racks beef or pork ribs
BBQ Seasoning Rub
BBQ Sauce
plastic wrap
aluminum foil
vegetable oil

Directions:
1.  Prepare the ribs by turning them meat side down, and cutting into the "silvery membrane" that covers the bone side.  Peel it away and remove it completely - discard.
2.  Sprinkle generously, coating the meat side with the bbq seasoning rub and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
3.  Preheat your gas grill to 300 degrees F.  (This can be done in an oven as well set oven temp to 350 degrees F.)
4.  Lay out a large piece of foil, big enough for the ribs to sit on, and lightly brush it with oil so that they won't stick.  Remove the ribs from the plastic wrap and set bone side down on the foil.  Grill for about an hour and a half, checking every now and then.  (Make sure the ribs aren't directly over the the flame/burner)
5.  Around 2 hours in, brush the tops with your favorite bbq sauce.  Finish grilling another 30-45 minutes, until cooked through and a deep brown color.  Serve with extra sauce and enjoy!

(inspired by Martha's American Food cookbook)