Baby Back Ribs for Father's Day!!

I never know what to get my dad for Father's Day, so I decided to make him a batch of baby back ribs instead of giving him something he doesn't need!  Get a load of how easy it is to make fall-off-the-bone baby-backs!

It seems to me like everyone has their own way of making ribs.  Well, I'm no exception to this!

Check out my method for whipping up some incredible baby backs worthy of a father's day celebration! 

Nice and easy... 

...I'm trying not to cut off a finger w all the distractions going on around me!

I always start ribs by separating them out into individual bones.

Doing so drastically increases the surface area of the meat, allowing for more of the seasonings to come in direct contact w the meat!

As we all know, when meat and seasonings have some sexy alone-time over night in the fridge, the love really starts to happen!

So, into a garbage bag they go as each are cut from the rack!

Take it easy... 

Be carefs, yo! Pay attention!

SQUIRREL!!

Haha, what?!

You lookin' at me?!

Half-way done!

Next victim!

These are some meaty ribs!

Time for a little lube!

Sure, I could screw around for ten yrs perfecting my own spice rub...

...or I can let the fine folks at McCormick (y'know, food scientists & focus groups) do all of the hard work!

Just as there is no point in reinventing the wheel,

so to is there no point in reinventing BBQ seasoning!

McCormick does a good job w their BBQ seasoning, but you can use whichever floats your boat.  I use rubs and seasoning blends like these as a good starting point!  You can always add stuff to make it uniquely your own blend.

Time to mix it up for now, we'll add more stuff later!

The Neighbs held up the nearly 10 lbs of ribs...

...while I played with my meat!

Ya gotta squoosh it up in there reeeeaaaaallll gooood!

Make sure you get all those seasonings spread around to every bit of the meat!

I may have been screwing around just a weentsy bit.

How they lookin'?! Meh....

...needs garlic!!

At this point I also tossed in a little more lube and another packet of BBQ seasoning!

Then it was back on the tumble cycle for another few minutes!

Ohhh mannnn!!!  They're lookin' ready now!

Mmmm, sexy close-up!!

Into a oven roasting pan they go!

Now, why wouldn't you cut your ribs apart?!

Whole slabs are harder to maneuver and less flavorful, but hey... you do what you want! 

If you've never tried to make them this way, you should give it a shot!

One more pic before they get stoached for the night!

What's this?!

Oh yeas!  Ve vill need foil for zees ribs!

Like so!

So, after a night in the coldbox and 2.5 hrs in the oven at 325°, they're ready to come out!

See how the meat is pulling away from the bone?

That's how you know they are done!

Another pic, why not?!

Oooh.... dreamy ribs!!

"But wait!" your mind now screams, "They cannot possibly be done!"

"Are you not going to grill them?!"

Of course I am!

But not before having a little sample!

Ya gotta make sure that it passes inspection, right?!

Ta-daaaa!  Grilled! 

So, I didn't manage to get any pics of the ribs actually on the grill, but I assure you that these are now nicely grilled and piping hot!

Low and slow on the grill just long enough to get them sizzlin' hot...

...then toss them into a large mixing bowl and pour in the au jus that you'd saved from the roaster pan!

Toss the ribs in the au jus a little and they are ready to scarf down!

Remember, they are already fully cooked, so you only need to grill them for a few min!

Don't over-do it or you'll kill 'em!  Just fire them up long enough to get them hot and give 'em a few grill marks!

It helps if you start w a hot grill, but make sure that you thoroughly lube the grill itself otherwise the meat will come right off the bones when you go to take them off! 

Dinner is served!  Corn on the cob w basil-lime butter, homemade baked beans, and a watermelon cucumber salad with basil and red onion are the perfect accompaniment to the baby backs!

My step-mother Sharon did a great job on all the side dishes!

The ribs seemed to be a big hit on Father's Day!

There were more than enough ribs for the six of us that afternoon!

Having leftover baby back ribs isn't a bad thing though!

I hope that this has convinced some of you to try hacking up your racks instead of cooking whole slabs!

I'd love to hear your method or see pics of how you make ribs!

Feel free to post a comment or email pics to me if you have them!