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Baby Back Ribs with Sweet and Sticky Sauce

Course: Main Course
Keyword: pork, ribs
Author: Jennifer

Ingredients

  • 2 racks baby back pork ribs (about 2 lb. each)
  • enough foil to make a pack - we're "steaming" these ribs first!

FOR THE RUB

  • 1/2 cup sweet paprika
  • 1/3 cup onion powder
  • 1/4 cup ground black pepper
  • 3 tbsp celery seeds
  • 3 tbsp dry mustard powder
  • 3 tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp chili powder

FOR THE SAUCE

  • 3 cups Pomi crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups honey
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp GF Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp GF soy sauce
  • 1.5 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp Sriracha (or to taste, but really, this was enough for that "after bite")
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

To make rub

  • Mix paprika, onion powder, pepper, salt, mustard, celery, and chili powder in a bowl.

To start the ribs

  • Rub the mixture all over the ribs.
  • Wrap the entire rack, meat side up (this just saves a step later) in a foil packet and rest on a jelly roll pan (you're going to cook on the pan, and you should be able to fit both racks on one pan).
  • Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the sauce

  • Pour tomatoes into a 4-qt. saucepan.
  • Whisk in sugar, honey, vinegar, molasses, lemon juice, Worcestershire, soy sauce, salt, garlic and onion powders, Sriracha, and pepper, and heat over medium-high heat.
  • Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 10 minutes.
  • Set burner on low/simmer/1/whatever your lowest setting is without being off and give it a stir now and then, but otherwise forget you made sauce for the next two hours.

Start the ribs!

  • Preheat your oven to 225F.
  • Place ribs, meat side up, on jelly roll pan in the oven.
  • We're using a jelly roll pan just in case any juices escape your packet - it will contain the mess. Cook the ribs in the packet for about 2.5 hours.
  • Has it been 2.5 hours already? Pull your ribs out of the oven and carefully (steam!) open your packet of foil. At this point you can sort of wrap the foil around the pan, or trim it, or just smoosh it up so it's not in the way.
  • Baste the top and bottom of the ribs (careful on the bottom!) with the sauce you made earlier and return to the oven meat side up.
  • In about 15 minutes, turn once and baste with sauce.
  • In another 15 minutes, turn back over (we should be meat side up again), baste and return to the oven.
  • Continue to baste the top every 15 minutes (or so, you don't have to set a timer to it or anything) until the tip of a small knife slips easily in and out of the meat.
  • Serve with remaining sauce on the side.