These delicious sweet and spicy Baby Back Ribs recipe starts in a low and slow oven then finished off on the grill. These tender juicy baby back ribs are seasoned with a light spicy rub and finished with a sweet tangy homemade barbecue sauce makes them mouth-watering finger licking good! A perfect recipe for an outdoor family gathering!
Helpful Tips:
- Baby back ribs are considered to be more of a meaty rib with less fat. So it’s suggested that you cook these ribs slow on lower heat. My recipe starts the ribs in the oven on a lower heat for 2 hours. Then once the barbecue sauce is added then grilled for 5 minutes on each side. As result, they turn out juicy, tender and very flavourful.
- Remove the white membrane/silver skin on the back of the ribs before adding the rub. It tends to make eating the ribs much easier.
- Another option is to grill the rack of ribs on the barbecue at a low heat for about an hour. It’s important to maintain the temperature, and all burners have a consistent heat.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE RUB:
- paprika
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt
- pepper
INGREDIENTS FOR THE BBQ SAUCE:
- ketchup
- apple cider vinegar
- maple syrup
- garlic
- Worcestershire sauce
- molasses
- dry mustard
- chili powder
- ground ginger
- salt
BBQ Baby Back Ribs with Maple Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 rack back pork ribs
Rub: one rack of ribs
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Barbecue Sauce: yields 1/2 cup
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Dry Rub:
- In a small bowl, combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt and pepper for the rub. Set aside.
- Remove and peel away the white membrane/silver skin on the back of ribs with a paper towel. Place the rack of ribs in a large roasting pan or baking sheet and rub generously on the both sides with the spice rub. Cover and refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour before cooking.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake until tender, about 2 hours.
Barbecue Sauce:
- In a saucepan, add and stir together garlic, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, ginger, chili powder and pinch of salt.
- Bring to medium heat and then lower to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the flavours are well blended about 10-15 minutes and once it becomes syrupy, remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat the grill, setting the burners to medium and oil the grate. Place the rack of ribs on the grill and brush with barbecue sauce and grill for about 5 minutes on each side, or until it becomes caramelized.
- Transfer to a cutting board, and cut the ribs apart. Option is to add more of the barbecue sauce to the ribs before serving.
Nutrition
I tend to give the ribs a quick rinse to remove any pieces of small bones, or blood spots etc. (something my Mom would say it’s a good thing to do and I would have to agree.) Combine the ingredients for the rub, and place the ribs in a roasting pan or baking sheet, generously rub the spices on both sides of the rack of ribs.
Homemade barbecue is the best!! I like to add ingredients that work well together and are flavourful. This recipe I put together is one you can add during grilling and just before serving. This barbecue sauce would be excellent on grilled chicken, beef ribs, and pork chops or tenderloin.
Be generous when adding barbecue sauce to the ribs. You will notice since this recipe has maple syrup and molasses in it, the ribs can easily burn if you are not watching closely. As I suggested, 5 minutes on each side is plenty to get the chard, caramelized, and grill flavour that we all love.
I wish the photos could show how delicious these ribs turned out. It’s a family favourite that we love to make each summer season. During those cold winter months, there is nothing that says we can’t enjoy ribs cooked in the oven. Growing up, that’s how we enjoyed them, and would add the barbecue sauce about the last 15-20 minutes of cooking and turn up the heat to get the caramelized coating and flavour.
This time I made roasted potatoes and a simple cabbage vinaigrette salad with the ribs which I think is a great combination. Other options are potato salad, most green salads, corn on the cob, broccoli salad or mash potatoes. Just to name a few ideas, but ribs are a versatile meal to enjoy with most sides. Either way, hope you give this recipe a try, it’s scrumptious finger licking delicious!! Enjoy!
