Today’s baby back ribs recipe comes to us from Jamie Tarence of FamilySavvy.com, who shares amazing recipes, useful lifestyle tips, health and beauty articles, and so much more. You should, of course, check out her website. But first, get ready to drool over this amazing fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs recipe!
I love sharing recipes that are crowd-pleasing and family-friendly. These baby back ribs are definitely both. Not only are they easy to make, but they also cost far less to prepare at home than to buy at a restaurant.
Ribs taste best when they are fall-apart-tender — when the meat literally slides off the bone. This is easy to achieve with some basic elements. The salt in the brine and dry rub tenderizes the meat before cooking. The heat aspect of fall-apart ribs is long, low, and slow. Ribs can’t be rushed. But they are always worth the wait!
We enjoy ribs any time, but they are always on our menu for New Year’s Day. We serve them along with collards or turnips, black-eyed peas, and pimento cheese cornbread. It is our favorite meal to kick off the new year. Ribs are also amazing in the spring and summer months — a side of slaw or potato salad rounds out the perfect meal to enjoy on the deck. Truly, you can enjoy them anytime.
You can find more tips for cooking these ribs, along with even more amazing recipes for sides, desserts, and more, at Family Savvy.
Fall-Off-the-Bone Ribs
Ingredients
RIBS:
- 3-4 racks baby back ribs membrane on is fine
BRINE:
- 1 cup kosher salt or 1/2 cup table salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
DRY SPICE RUB:
- 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.
- To brine ribs, dissolve salt and brown sugar in 4 quarts cold water in a stockpot or large container; add ribs to brine. Marinate in the refrigerator for one hour.
- Remove ribs from brine; pat dry with paper towels.
- Combine spice rub ingredients in a small bowl (or use your own spice rub).
- Cover ribs liberally with spice rub.
- Cover; refrigerate ribs at least 2 hours or overnight. *
- Remove ribs from refrigerator; bring to room temperature for at least 30 minutes up to an hour.
- Line baking sheet with heavy-duty foil, if desired.**
- Place 1/2 cup water in baking sheet; place cooking rack inside the pan.
- Spray cooking rack liberally with cooking spray.
- Place ribs directly on cooking rack; cover entire baking sheet with heavy-duty foil, folding edges underneath pan to seal.
- Bake ribs for 8 hours without opening door.
- Remove ribs from oven; let stand, covered, for at least 30 minutes to allow juices to settle.
- Remove foil; brush ribs with commercial BBQ sauce.
- Return ribs to oven and broil on top rack of oven for 5 minutes or until glazed.
- Cut ribs into individual servings.
- Serve with additional barbecue sauce if desired.
Notes
**If freezing the ribs to cook later, freeze them after brining and applying dry rub.
Nutrition
Enjoy your meal!
Jamie began Family Savvy in 2011 to share recipes and homemaking skills with young women she mentored. She now shares her best resources, advice, and inspiration with women of all ages. She also hosts The SavvyCast, a podcast you can find on your favorite podcast platform. Find Jamie on Instagram — @family_savvy — or email her at [email protected].
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