Baby Back Rib Recipes

These Baby Back Rib Recipes are some of our favorites. Grilling Baby Back Ribs is definitely one of the most popular items from the grill. We offer you some of our favorite classic and exotic Pork Baby Back Rib recipes!

Grilled Pork Baby Back Ribs with Zinfandel BBQ Sauce

This is one of our best baby back rib recipes and a great an awesome way to bring the flavors of the California wine country to your backyard BBQ or even tailgater. These ribs are easy and our quick homemade Zinfandel BBQ Sauce is a sure crowd pleaser!

Grilled baby back rib recipe with Zinfandel BBQ sauce

Serves 4 persons

2 racks meaty pork baby back ribs

Mesquite BBQ rub or your favorite BBQ rub.

1 cup wood chips, we like mesquite, kiawe (Hawaiian Mesquite) or hickory (optional)

Rinse your baby back ribs. Check the backside of the ribs to see if they have been peeled. Peeled ribs are more tender and tend to not stick in your teeth as much. Peeling removes the white membrane on the back of the ribs. If you do not see the white membrane, great! Move on to the seasoning. If you do see the white membrane, slip the tip of a small thin knife under the membrane on one side to loosen it. Then using a towel grab that corner and pull towards the other side of the ribs and it should strip off. This is easy yet if you are buying ribs for this recipe, you can ask your butcher do this step for you!

Season your baby back ribs up with your rub and the garlic powder. Place in the refrigerator and allow the flavors to soak in for an hour or so if possible.

If cooking with charcoal prepare to two-zone fire with this rub, I like to put some initial grill marks on the hot side of the grill, then finish cooking the ribs with the low fire or indirect heat. This also allows the ribs to pick up a nice smoky flavor from the wood chips if using them. Also this keep the ribs from catching fire from flare-ups.

If using a gas grill heat the grill up nice and hot place nice grill marks on your ribs. Towards the back of the grill place the wood chips wrapped in foil with small holes poked in it or in a smoker box on the grill to bring some nice smoky flavor to the ribs.

There are two ways to go with baby back rib recipes: A Memphis style where you cook the ribs only with the dry rub, then serve the sauce on the side. Or Kansas City style where at the end you baste the ribs with the sauce and allow it to cook on. Personally with this recipe I like the ribs dry then dip into the sauce, my bride and sous-chef Rainee likes them basted and the sauce a bit caramelized on the ribs. So we do half and half! So if you want to baste your ribs, make the sauce first.

When the bones are poking out a bit and when the baby back rib rack begins to separate when flexed they are done!

Old Vine Zinfandel BBQ Sauce that goes well with baby back rib recipe above

This sauce is really great with the baby back rib recipe, but also on chicken, lamb and is incredible on duck,as well.

½ 750 ml. bottle of Old Vine Zinfandel

1 ½ cups Ketchup

4 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon orange marmalade

1 tablespoon coarse Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ancho chile powder

½ teaspoon pasilla chile powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

Combine all in a non-reactive pan and simmer for 15 minutes on low heat. 

Heat your grill to medium low heat, and one section off for indirect heat if your grill is prone to flare ups. Bring on the baby back ribs . After fully cooked then. baste with the BBQ sauce lightly with a brush. Continue cooking until the internal temp is 165 degrees, watching that the sauce does not burn, remove from grill and allow to rest for a few minutes.

Enjoy your baby back rib recipe! And feel free to contact me for any tips. Cheers!

Grilled Baby Back Ribs
with Thai Flavors

I was in the mood for some ribs grilled with a different set of flavors pulled this together. It has plenty of Thai style ingredients and flavors if not strictly adhering to Thai cuisine and not overly spicy, I like to serve this with a sauce of fish sauce with Thai or Serrano chilies thinly sliced and a couple of squeezes of fresh lime.

2   full racks of Baby Back Ribs, peeled (back side membrane removed)

Thai Marinade for Grilling Pork Ribs or Chicken

1             cup chopped Shallots (can substitute red onion)

2            tablespoons peeled and sliced Ginger

10            cloves of garlic

10            Green Onions chopped

 1            cup chopped Cilantro

1            tablespoon fresh lime juice

1            tablespoon fresh Lemon Grass finely chopped

or

1            teaspoon Lime Zest green part only

1-3            tablespoons of Sriracha Sauce to your taste and desired heat.

6             tablespoons Soy Sauce

2            tablespoons Fish Sauce

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2             tablespoons sugar

Combine all marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend to a paste. Place with the ribs in a non-reactive container or my preference a zip lock baggie. Marinate the ribs for 4 to 8 hours.

If using charcoal set up a two zone fire for both direct and indirect heat grill your ribs until tender. I like to put some nice grill marks and golden brown color on the ribs.

Serve with steamed Jasmine Rice and Spicy Thai Dipping Sauce, which really sets this dish off nicely.

Spicy Thai Dipping Sauce

1            fresh Thai or Serrano Chile very finely sliced

3            tablespoons Thai Fish Sauce

1            teaspoon fresh Lime Juice

1            teaspoon Soy Sauce

½             teaspoon fresh Thai Basil thinly sliced chiffonade *optional

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