Cooking Louisiana  -  Baby Back Ribs

Baby Back Ribs are just the best ribs there are in my opinion. Cajuns do baby backs up in many styles. Here's a Baby Back Rib cooking style that I like, but hey, do your thing! Prepare the day before if possible. Sorry, I didn't make this one up.

Ingredients:

This recipe is for 2 slabs of Baby Back Ribs

  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tsp. soy sauce
  • 2 tbs. brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/3 cup honey (approx.)
  • Optional: Tabasco or Louisiana Hot Sauce
  • Mix all ingredients and rub down ribs as best you can. Put in ice box overnight to marinade (12 hours or more). Next day, light the pit and get the fire right. Brown the ribs right over the fire. Watch them closely so they don't burn; they have sugar on them and it burns fast. Get both sides golden brown. Here's where you put some smoking wood in.

    Remove ribs from fire and and let them cook off to the side for about an hour saucing them if you wish about 15 minutes before the next step. Then, wrap each slab in heavy aluminum foil in a way that will hold liquid. Leave one end of the foil open to add liquid. Crimp the foil lightly to ease the unwrapping, but, hold the moisture. Pour in one cup of water, beer or white wine (what your tastes like). Lightly crimp the end you added the liquid to. 

    Put foil wrapped ribs back on the pit away from the fire. Cook being careful not to rip the foil until the ribs can be torn apart easily but not completely separate from the bone. This takes practice with your pit or oven. Be sure steam is always coming from the package. If not, add water, they must stay moist.

    You can also do this in a baking pan covered.

    Don't be afraid to be creative with the ingredients, Cajuns do that on a regular basis. The "big deal" with this recipe is cooking the ribs until they are nice and tender which, for baby backs, is not hard to do.

    Enjoy