I’ve got a confession – I’ve been sitting on these photos for a week. I just haven’t had the time or energy to sit down and write a blog post for this. I’ve got another confession – I’ve got a real hard time resisting the urge to get baby back ribs anytime I see them offered. Strangely, though, I don’t make them very often. They fall into a weird cooking time for me. I usually like things I can cook in about an hour or less, or that take all day in the slow cooker. Like most people, I do them on the grill – but the recipe/instructions are to do it in the oven. Very well.
Any good ribs start with a good rub
These ribs start out with a pretty simple rub. The recipe calls for using a “jalapeno shake” or “jalapeno seasoning”. The book goes on to explain that it seems to mostly be a regional item, and to omit it or replace with different spices. Our grocery had diced dried jalapenos, so I used those. I don’t know if they’re quite what he had in mind, but it was worth a shot. Rub the ribs, wrap in foil and sit in the fridge overnight.
Next up is the cooking. A lot of recipes I’ve used in the past have used apple juice as a braising liquid. This one uses white wine, vinegar, honey, worcester sauce and garlic. Wrap the ribs into foil pouches and pour the liquid in. One note here – make sure your garlic is chopped/crushed really fine or divide the liquid into two equal amounts before pouring. When you pour the liquid into the pouches, if you’re trying to be careful not to pour too much, the chunks of garlic end up getting stuck in the pouring vessel. If you know how much you have to pour before doing so, you won’t get more garlic in one than the other.
After about two and a half hours in the oven, I was satisfied that the ribs were done based on Alton’s test – grip and twist the bone to see if it rotates fairly easily. Next, we drain the liquid into a pan and set the ribs aside.
After braising, the juices and liquid are used for the sauce
The liquid is to simmer and reduce down – and this is meant to be your barbecue sauce. Baste it onto the ribs and stick them under the broiler to caramelize and brown.
After braising for almost 3 hours
There is a lot of debate over what constitutes “great” or even “good” barbecue. For my money, I tend to prefer Kansas City style. I like them all if they’re made well – but I prefer a nice thick, sweet and tangy sauce. This sauce is none of those. Alton finishes the recipe with the joke that you should eat these outside with a hose and a bucket. I don’t know why. They’re not at all juicy or messy.
The ribs themselves have a good flavor, but they’re just a bit on the dry side for me.
Alton Brown Who Loves Ya Baby-Back RibsRating: 
They've got a good flavor - they're just too dry
