Baby Back Ribs

The following recipe for “Baby Back Ribs” with homemade “Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce” from Will Budiaman’s “The Essential Kamado Grill Cookbook” (Rockridge Press) will make sure fans go home with full bellies this football season.

Football and food go are a perfect and popular pairing. Though fans may not need to eat while watching their favorite team play, adding food to the football festivities certainly makes fall weekends more enjoyable.

Certain foods have become Saturday and Sunday afternoon staples once football season kicks off. Few fans will turn down a plate of wings or walk away from a tray of nachos during football season. But fans hosting game watch parties at home can go beyond the norm and offer additional fare that’s sure to please a crowd. For instance, the following recipe for “Baby Back Ribs” with homemade “Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce” from Will Budiaman’s “The Essential Kamado Grill Cookbook” (Rockridge Press) will make sure fans go home with full bellies this football season.

Baby Back Ribs

Serves 4

4          2- to 21⁄2-lb. racks baby back ribs

3          tablespoons kosher salt

3          tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

2⁄3       cup Kansas City-style Barbecue Sauce (see below)

1. Trim any hanging fat off the ribs. Season with the salt and pepper on both sides. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Prepare the grill for smoking at 225 F to 275 F.
3. Place the ribs meat-side up on the grate over the drip pan. Close the lid. If desired, wrap the ribs in aluminum foil after 1 hour 30 minutes or once the bark (crust) is reddish brown.
4. Turn over the ribs, close the lid, and continue cooking for 1 hour 30 minutes more, or until the ribs pull apart with a gentle tug.
5. Remove the foil (if using), baste the ribs with the sauce, close the lid, and cook meat-side up for 10 more minutes or until the sauce is set. Serve immediately.

Cooking tip: The back of pork ribs is covered with a membrane that some pitmasters say prevents the meat from absorbing the smoke, but this is a myth. Many don’t bother removing it, and leaving it on helps keep the ribs from falling apart when you move them.

Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce

Makes about 11⁄2 cups

1          cup ketchup

1⁄2        cup apple cider vinegar

2          tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2          tablespoons unsulfured blackstrap molasses

6          tablespoons packed light brown sugar

2          tablespoons canola oil

6          garlic cloves, finely chopped

2          teaspoons kosher salt

2          teaspoons sweet paprika

1          teaspoon ground cinnamon

1          teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, vinegar Worcestershire sauce, molasses and sugar until smooth.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds or until golden.
4. Add the salt, paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne. Cook for 10 seconds or until fragrant.
5. Stir in the ketchup mixture. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for about 1 minute or until the flavors meld.
6. Let cool and refrigerate overnight before using to let the flavors develop.

Cooking tip: When making barbecue sauce, it’s not necessary to boil the ingredients, only simmer them. Simmering them allows the flavors to meld; boiling them causes the ingredients to separate.