Tender Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs

Once again, I have failed to go exchange my empty propane tank. So using the grill is out of the question. That’s all right. My oven works fine. I decided to add a simple spice rub to my ribs. I normally just salt and pepper them and let the barbecue sauce do all the flavoring.  But I wanted to change things up and give it a try. Plus, since I am taking a short cut and using store bought barbecue sauce, I wanted to do a little extra something. And the ribs came out surprisingly good. My son, who normally loves his ribs slathered in thick, sticky barbecue sauce suggested next time I leave some of them with just the dry rub and no sauce. What the what?

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 racks baby back pork ribs, about 4 1/2 pounds
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 cups your favorite barbecue sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. If your store/butcher doesn’t already do so, you will need to peel off the membrane that covers the bony side of the ribs.
3. In a bowl, mix together the brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder and black pepper.
4. Cover the ribs with this rub on all sides. At this point, I like to cut my rib racks into sections of 3-4 ribs. You can leave whole and cut when finished. I just hate burning my fingers when cutting ribs. But that’s my issue. You are probably not prone to burn yourself when cooking like me.
5. Place ribs on two layers of foil. (or one layer of heavy duty foil) 
6. Place another two layers of foil (or one layer of heavy duty foil) on top of the ribs.
7. Roll and crimp edges up tightly. Be sure edges are facing up to seal.
8. Place packaged ribs on baking sheet.
9. Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until meat is shrinking away from the ends of the bones.
10. Remove from oven.
11. Turn oven to broiler setting.
12. At this time, if you haven’t already done so, cut your racks into 3-4 rib portions.
13. Arrange on pan, bony side down. Brush on barbecue sauce generously.
14. Broil for 1-2 minutes until sauce is caramelized and bubbly.
15. If you prefer, turn ribs over and repeat with sauce on bony side. I don’t bother since it is all bone. Plus when I tried, the meat fell off the bone.
16. Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy! Don’t forget the extra napkins. 

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