Looking for something special to make on Father’s Day? Look no further than this recipe for Chili-Roasted Baby Backs with Homemade Barbecue Sauce. Dang, they’re good! The bad photo doesn’t do them justice (I was in a hurry to get them on the table).

Also, don’t skip the steps of making the homemade sauce…it’s easy to make, rich and tangy (with a little heat from warm spices), and worth the extra effort!  And since you bake these ribs, you don’t even need to have a grill (although you could finish them on the grill once you sauce them).

My family LOVES ribs! Husband and our boys always request them for their birthday dinners and other special occasions. Recently, one of them asked with the sweetest of voices, “Mom, when can we have ribs again?” Then the other boy chimed in with hearty agreement. With those two precious faces and big brown eyes looking up at me, I melted and made these Chili-Roasted Baby Backs the next day. Enjoy!

Chili-Roasted Baby Backs with Homemade Barbecue Sauce
-recipe from Sunday Roasts by Betty Rosbottom

These baby back ribs are rubbed with a trio of peppers (chili powder, chipotle chili powder, and black pepper) along with other seasonings, then roasted for a couple of hours. During their last minutes in the oven, the ribs are brushed with a rich, dark barbecue sauce. When done, the glistening ribs have great depth of flavor and are tender to the bone. Plan on eating them with your fingers with plenty of napkins nearby! Serves 6 – 8.

4 baby back rib racks, about 2 to 2 1/2 lb each
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Homemade Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows)

With a sharp knife, score (making long slashes about 1″ apart) the white membrane on the underside of the ribs. Place the ribs on a large, rimmed nonreactive baking sheet and brush all over with the vinegar. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 2 hours.

Arrange oven racks in the center positions and preheat the oven to 350°F. Have ready two large, rimmed baking sheets/trays lined with foil.

In a bowl, mix together the chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, garlic salt, chipotle chili powder, and black pepper. Rub the mixture over both sides of the ribs.

Arrange the ribs in a single layer meat-side up, on the baking sheets. Roast for 1 3/4 hours. Watch carefully and cover the ribs loosely with foil if the meat begins to brown too quickly.

Remove from the oven and brush both sides of the ribs with 1 cup of the barbecue sauce. Roast for 10 minutes, and then brush both sides of the ribs with another 1 cup fo the sauce. Roast for 15 minutes longer.

Remove the ribs from the oven, cover them loosely with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut the ribs between the bones into 3 to 4 rib sections and mound on a platter. Serve with the remaining sauce.

Homemade Barbecue Sauce
-recipe from Sunday Roasts by Betty Rosbottom

All the classic flavor notes — sweet, tart, hot, and spicy — can be found in this sauce. Although the ingredients are typical of those used in commercial barbecue sauces, this one is so much more complex and delicious. It can be prepared several days ahead and also freezes well. Makes about 3 cups.

4 teaspoon canola
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup ketchup/tomato sauce
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup unsulphered molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and saute until translucent, for 4 to 5 minutes. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups water, the ketchup/tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, coffee powder, mustard, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously. Lower the heat and simmer until the mixture has reduced to about 3 cups for about 30 minutes. (The sauce can be prepared 5 days ahead; cool, cover, and refrigerate. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost and reheat when needed.)

Tags: baby back ribs, bbq, homemade barbecue sauce, oven-roasted ribs, pork, pork ribs, ribs

Recently, one of my kids requested ribs for his birthday dinner so I did a quick recipe search and came up with Southwestern-Style Baby Back Ribs. They’re easy to make and very tasty. The recipe gives directions on cooking the ribs at home then finishing them on the grill at a tailgating party. We weren’t tailgating so I skipped making them ahead of time and made them in one afternoon.

Even though I didn’t plan ahead to let the ribs sit overnight in the fridge (I covered them with the rub then put them straight in the oven), they were still really good. After baking for 3 1/2 to 4 hours in a 300 degree oven, the ribs emerged very tender. I liberally covered them in barbecue sauce then finished them on the grill. The birthday boy said it best, “Yumm!”

Southwestern-Style Baby Back Ribs
-recipe from The Tailgating Cookbook by Bob Sloan

I once considered making more authentic smoked ribs for a tailgate party and, in the planning, realized that not only would I need to be at the parking lot hours before everyone else, but my grill was not large enough to smoke enough ribs for everyone in my party. And to try to pass off just “a taste” of barbecued ribs is like trying to arm-tackle Priest Holmes. So it was a choice between shelling out for another grill or devising another method of cooking the ribs. Baking them first in a slow oven produced moist, flavorful meat I then had only to finish on the grill.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 racks baby back ribs, about 5 pounds
3 cups barbecue sauce

At home: In a small bowl, mix together the thyme, garlic, onion powder, brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, rosemary, salt, and black pepper. Rub the spice mixture over both sides of the ribs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Unwrap the ribs and place them on a baking sheet. Cover completely with foil. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove the foil and let the ribs cool. Refrigerate them, wrapped in plastic, until you are ready to pack, up to 24 hours.

Just before leaving, cut the racks into individual ribs and place them in a large, sealable plastic container. Add 1 cup of the barbecue sauce and stir so all the ribs are coated.

At the tailgate: Prepare coals for a medium fire. When the coals are hot, grill the ribs for 10 minutes, until they are lightly charred and heated through, turning them several times and applying several more moppings of sauce.

Serve the ribs hot, accompanied by more sauce.

I’m linked to:
Foodie Friday
It’s a Hodgepodge Friday
New Friend Friday
Favorite Things Friday
Friday Favorites
Friendly Friday Follow
Friendly Friday
Hop Along Friday
I’m Lovin’ It Fridays
Family Food Fridays

Tags: baby back ribs, barbecue sauce, bbq, Grilling/BBQ, pork, Southwestern-style, tailgating