Baby Back Ribs

Yesterday was glorious. The weather could not have been more perfect. Low 70’s and sunny. We spent over 8 hours working in the yard. The kids rode their bikes and scooters, the dog and cat spent all day laying in the sunshine, we worked and sweated, and it felt oh so very good. I edged a new garden bed that I had made last year, we got out two of our three patio sets, washed them up for the season and had the back yard looking almost like summer again. We cleaned out the shed and purged all the old junk and toys the boys no longer play with and John finally got the flag pole he has wanted for over 6 years now, and put it in the ground. All the kids, even our neighbor Isabelle, wrote their names in the concrete. John was so happy to see his flag flying.

I knew it was going to be a hectic day, so I had made some pasta salad earlier on in the morning and had put a delicious rub on 3 racks of baby back ribs the night before. Every time we opened the fridge this fantastic smell came wafting out at us. The ribs slow cooked in the oven for about four hours on 250, tightly wrapped in foil. I could literally pull the bone right out of the meat. John threw them on the grill to crisp them up and then he poured on some BBQ sauce. They just melted in your mouth.

I used America’s Test Kitchen’s Rub. The only things I omitted were cayenne pepper and the white pepper, both of which I did not have, and also did not want to use. We are wimpy on the heat factor here, all of us cept John that is.

America’s Test Kitchen Rub

4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground white pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper