Melt in your mouth RIBS

RIBS! Melt in your mouth, finger licking good ribs! Makes my mouth water thinking about them. Yummy! My husband (& my boys when they are home) request these frequently and they are so easy to make... just plan on making them early in the morning so they are ready for supper! I used to really suck at making ribs. Then one of my patient's that used to own a rib joint before he retired told me the secret. Since then, my ribs always turn out delicious. The trick to great ribs is cooking them on a low temperature for a long time. It really doesn't matter whether you use beef, pork, baby back, country ribs, boneless ribs....any of them will work with this recipe and I usually buy whichever ones are on sale. I usually make my own homemade BBQ sauce but you can certainly use your favorite store-bought sauce for convenience, just be sure it is gluten free if you have a gluten allergy! If you don't want to heat up your kitchen you can make these on your charcoal grill, gas grill or smoker too. Just remember to cook them on a low temperature for a long time! If you try to cook them too fast, they will not be tender and moist!

This is a great recipe for the football game parties, fall BBQs, potlucks or just a lazy weekend at home. If you buy the ribs when they are on sale, it isn't expensive to make and it's really a simple recipe. You just have to plan on the cooking time. Try the recipe...you won't be sorry!

BBQ Rib Recipe:

• 2-3 racks of ribs (or use boneless, country style, etc)
• dry rub seasoning of your choice (I used Stubb's BBQ rub today)
• BBQ sauce (my homemade recipe is below but you can use store bought, be sure it is gluten free if you have a gluten allergy!)

Dry rub seasoning on country style boneless ribs

Take a heavy duty cookie sheet with edges or a deep roasting pan and cover with foil. Place the ribs on the foil. Sprinkle dry rub into the meat and gently rub it in. 

Put another large piece or two of foil over the top of the ribs but make sure it isn't tight against the meat. I call it "tenting" the foil so it looks kind of like a tent with space for air flow/steam over the meat. 

Put a glass bowl or casserole dish filled with water on the bottom rack of the oven and put the cookie sheet with foil & ribs on the top rack. Bake at 275 degrees for at least 7.5-8  hours. Check the water after 4 hours to see if you need to add additional water. (The water helps steam the ribs).  If you are using the BBQ grill you will still want to put them on the cookie sheet with foil and put a bowl of water off to the side to help cook them tender! After 7.5-8 hours, remove from oven and take a knife or fork and gently tug on the meat. If it comes apart easily then they are ready for adding the BBQ sauce. (If meat doesn't flake away easily then cook additional 30 minutes covered & check again) Spread the BBQ sauce over the ribs and return to the oven or BBQ grill without the foil on top. This will allow the BBQ sauce to thicken on the ribs and form a glaze. YUMMY! Cook about 20-30 additional minutes and then remove from heat and these babies are ready to EAT!

Boneless Country Style Ribs

Ribs with bones

My homemade BBQ sauce recipe:

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar or raw sugar (more if you want it sweeter)
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard spice
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tsp. chipotle chile powder (more if you like it spicy)
• 2 tsp. vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (make sure it is gluten free if you have an allergy to gluten)
• 1 cup beef broth (or I have substituted a packet of gluten free dry onion soup mix with 1 cup of hot water in a pinch!)

Cook on medium heat until boiling. Turn heat down and simmer on low until thickened. If you want your BBQ sauce thicker, add 2 tbs. corn starch.

Note: I have found that in addition to the expensive gluten free onion soup mixes you can find online or at specialty stores is Albertson's grocery store brand onion soup mix is gluten free & 4C brand that I frequently find at the 99cent store is also gluten free. Both are 2 envelopes in the box for around $1. I find that a lot of the "brand names" use wheat flour as a thickener but some of the "generic" brands are made with corn starch or xanthan gum which are gluten free. Gluten free does not have to be expensive or taste funky!

I hope this post got your taste buds watering for some "fall off the bone" ribs!

Enjoy!

Tanja 

Gluten Free Casually