Fall-Off-the-Bone Baby Back Ribs
These fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs are first cooked low and slow in the oven and then slathered with a homemade chipotle maple barbecue sauce before being tossed on the grill for just a mere half hour for the finishing touch.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds baby back ribs (about 2 slabs)
- 1 large onion, sliced
- One (12-ounce) bottle beer
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups Chipotle Maple Barbecue Sauce, or your favorite bottled sauce
Instructions
Prep the oven
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163° C).
Prep the ribs
- To remove the membrane from the back of the ribs, slip the tip of a small, dull knife, such as a table knife, in between the membrane and bone anywhere along the edge of the slab of ribs. Lift the knife to separate the membrane from the bone, then grab the membrane with one hand through a paper towel (the towel helps keep the membrane from slipping out of your grip) and rip it off.
Cook the ribs
- Spread the onion slices evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the ribs, bone side down, on the onion. Pour the beer over the ribs, season with salt and pepper, and cover tightly with foil. Bake, undisturbed, for 2 hours.
- Remove the foil and slide the ribs onto a platter.
☞ TESTER TIP: There'll be a lot of very hot liquid in the rimmed baking sheet from the rendered fat and beer. I let the pan cool completely in the oven, so it's easier to remove. If you need the oven, grab a big bowl and gently pour the liquid into it, then you can safely remove the baking sheet.
Prepare the grill
- Meanwhile, prepare a fire in a charcoal grill and let the coals burn to a gray ash with a faint red glow, or until you can hold your hand 3 to 4 inches above the fire for no more than 6 seconds.
- Brush both sides of the baby back ribs with the barbecue sauce and place the ribs, meat side down, over the coals. Grill the ribs, basting the top-facing side several times, until slightly charred, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Turn the slab of ribs and liberally baste the cooked side. Treat the slab gingerly, so as not to lose any of the luscious meat to the flames of the grill. Close the lid of the grill and cook the ribs, basting often, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
Serve
- Cut the slabs into individual ribs, pile them onto a large platter, and serve warm.
Notes
-
- Removing the membrane--Consider asking your butcher to remove the membrane if you're not comfortable with it.
- Use caution when removing ribs from the oven--Be extremely careful when taking the ribs out of the oven. The beer can spill.
- Get ahead--The ribs can be baked up to a day in advance. Simply let them cool completely, wrap them up in aluminum foil and then plastic wrap, and then toss them in the fridge. Note that you’ll need to leave them on the grill a few minutes longer to make sure they heat all the way through.
- Finish them in the oven--In the winter or bad weather, I skip finishing the ribs on the grill and instead baste them with sauce and cook them for 20 to 30 minutes in the oven. I then blast the broiler for a minute or two to char them a bit.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 858kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 173mg | Sodium: 1691mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 49g