Monday, September 22, 2008

Memphis Style Ribs


Admittedly, I grew up in North Carolina and I am a Carolina style barbecue girl through and through. I like my barbecue sweet. My husband is also a big fan. I was intrigued when I received this month's issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray and saw Memphis Style Ribs. I thought it would be fun to try something different. After making this recipe, I learned I should stick with my favorite sauce, as no other sauce will live up to it. I wasn't overly impressed with this recipe, other than the wonderful cooking technique I picked up. I usually par boil my ribs and then bake them. This recipe called to apply a dry rub and roast them low and slow. The ribs were extremely tender and succulent. I plan to cook them this way from now on. I will change up some of the seasonings in the dry rub because I thought it was a little bland and I will serve them with my signature sauce.

Memphis Style Baby Back Ribs
Source: Everyday with Rachael Ray October 2008

2 teaspoons sweet paprika (I mixed mine half sweet and half smoked paprika)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper
2 racks pork baby back ribs (about 5 lb total)
Two 8-oz cans tomato sauce
1/2 onion finely chopped
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 275. In a small bowl, whisk together the paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Run a paring knife down the length of the bone side of each rack to split the skin, then season all over with the rub.

2. Arrange the ribs, meaty side down, in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast, turning halfway through, until very tender, about 3 hours.

3. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, bring the tomato sauce, onion, vinegar, brown sugar and hot sauce to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the racks into individual ribs and serve with the sauce on the side.


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