Ribs Bourbon Baby Back

By pattie_d

Baby back ribs are rubbed with a combination of spices for the meat to absorb before slow cooking until tender. Just before serving, these baby backs are brushed with a bourbon bbq sauce and grilled to perfection. They're a little sweet and smoky... and finger lickin' good!

Ingredients

• (rub recipe)
• 2 racks baby back ribs (about 4 pounds)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 recipe Bourbon Barbecue Sauce, recipe

Preparation

Step 1

Cut the racks of ribs in half crosswise. Combine spice rub ingredients in small bowl. Rub each side of racks with 1 tablespoon spice rub; wrap the ribs in foil and refrigerate racks 30 minutes up to overnight.

Place the foil wrapped ribs in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, just until the meat begins to pull away from the ends of the bones and the ribs are just tender. You can slow cook the ribs up to a day before and keep them refrigerated. Bring refrigerated ribs to room temperature about 1 hour before you grill them.

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Grill the ribs, brushing them with about half the sauce, until they're crispy and heated through, about 10 minutes. Move the ribs around as they grill, the sugar in barbecue sauce makes it easy for them to burn. Let the ribs rest for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting them into 1 or 2-bone pieces. Put out the rest of the sauce for dipping or brush it over the ribs.

Bourbon Barbeque Sauce:
1/2 cup steak sauce
1/2 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon regular or grainy Dijon mustard
2 pinches red pepper flakes
Kosher salt

Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups