{05.15.13} Food & Drink

Make It

Barbecued Ribs

Is there a more manly meal than the summer's beloved barbecued ribs? Cooked over a fire, you eat them with your hands, ripping meat from the bone with your teeth. Of course, to get really good ribs, you need a heavy-duty smoker and about ten hours. Or so we thought until a southern-born chef shared his secret at-home method of starting them in the oven with a dry rub, then finishing them on the grill with some sauce. The result is fall-off-the-bone tender ribs in just over two hours. Another benefit? It's a fool-proof technique that comes in handy when you've got a boisterous backyard full of people and you've maybe had one too many beers. And apparently, it's not so secret. Bon Appetit's handsome new "The Grilling Book" offers a simple recipe, which we've adapted below.

Ingredients

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbs paprika
1 tbs dry mustard
Pinch of kosher salt
4 lb baby back pork ribs
Your favorite barbecue sauce

Technique

Preheat oven to 325°. Combine spices and season each rack of ribs with the rub and wrap with a double layer of foil.

Bake for 2 hours, remove and then unwrap foil, reserving any juices. Let cool.

Mix 1 1/2 cups of barbecue sauce with the reserved meat juices and heat grill to medium-hot (see our gauge below).

Grill ribs with the lid up, basting with sauce and turning every minute or so for 10 to 12 minutes, until the meat has a nice lacquer of caramelized sauce. Some charring is expected ... and welcome.