Author Notes: These ribs aren’t going to look and taste like the sticky, saucy, lacquered ribs of Southern yore—they’re a bit cleaner in taste. As you’ve basically steamed them in their own juices, they’ll be fall-off-the-bone succulent, and in this you may find a new appreciation for the flavor of pork as it should be: not drowned in a saccharine BBQ sauce, but rather powdered with a smoky-sweet, savory invisibility cloak that lets the meat be meat. —Eric Kim
Food52 Review: Featured in: My Lip-Smacking BBQ Ribs & the Secret Spice Blend That Makes Them Sing. —The Editors
Serves: 3 to 4
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 3 hrs
Ingredients
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2
pounds pork baby back ribs
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4
tablespoons Magic Spice Blend, recipe follows
Magic Spice Blend
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1/3
cup dark brown sugar
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3
tablespoons kosher salt
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3
tablespoons smoked paprika (you can use regular sweet paprika if you don’t like the taste of smoked)
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1
tablespoon garlic powder
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1
tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
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2
teaspoons cayenne pepper
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1
teaspoon celery seed, crushed in the palm of your hand
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 250° F. Season the ribs on both sides, generously, with the Magic Spice Blend.
- Wrap the ribs tightly in aluminum foil (I always use heavy-duty), place on a sheet pan flesh-side down, and bake for 3 hours. I like to eat this with white rice.
Magic Spice Blend
- Spoon all of the ingredients into a Mason jar and shake.
Photo by Julia Gartland