Deberry’s Prize Winning Slow Oven BBQ Ribs – the secret to tenderness in your kitchen!

Even if the weather isn’t conducive for grilling out, you can still enjoy mouth-watering BBQ ribs. This is the taste and tenderness that wins BBQ competitions and you’ll be named the “Champ.”

2 slabs pork ribs (I prefer St. Louis or Loin Ribs)

1 cup light brown sugar

5 tablespoons sea salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

1-1/2 tablespoons cayenne pepper

6 tablespoons smoked paprika or regular paprika (if don’t have smoked paprika you might want to substitute 1 tablespoon hickory smoked salt for part of the salt – or to taste)

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon dried oregano

3 tablespoons onion powder

1-1/2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce

Peel off the silver skin membrane on the bone side of the ribs before applying the rub. Mix together the sugar and spices to make the rub. Apply rub to ribs on all sides. Rub spice mixture all over the ribs. Wrap the ribs tightly in the foil and refrigerate the ribs for at least 2 hours or up to 48 hours.  When ready to cook, preheat oven to 275 degrees. Remove from refrigerator, pull foil open to expose the ribs and place foil with ribs meat side down on rack on sheet pan lined with two layers of foil, shiny side down.  Pour about 1/2 cup water in pan so that it is between foil lined pan and the foil with ribs on the rack.  Bake for 2-1/2 hours. Remove from oven. Remove ribs from foil and place ribs directly onto the rack on the foil lined sheet pan. Brush bone side with BBQ sauce and then turn meaty side up and brush generously with BBQ sauce and cook another 20 – 30 minutes or until meat is starting to shrink away from the ends of the bone – basting with the sauce every 5 minutes. Broil for 1 or 2 minutes until sauce is cooked on and bubbly. Turn ribs over, brush with more sauce and repeat. Remove from oven and wrap in foil and then in a towel or place in an empty cooler (no ice) and allow to rest for 30 minutes to an hour. This will further tenderize in the meat and produce that fall off the bone texture that is the goal of traditional BBQ. A secret to the tenderness of the meat is this foiling process which allows it to steam in its own vapors.

James Deberry who has helped to raise me and my brothers and he also shared come of his cooking secrets along the way.