Weekly Outdoor Cooking Info: RIBS!

Welcome to the Weekly Outdoor Cooking Post.  It's summer, and nothing is better than cooking on the grill!  Later in the summer we'll try other methods of outdoor cooking like dutch oven, tin foil dinners, and maybe even smoking!

Baby Back Ribs are one of those Catch 22's in cooking.  They're really not a great cut of meat, full of connective tissue and all sorts of membrane, yet they're one of the most expensive things on the menu at many restaurants.  This all comes down to how time consuming and difficult they are to prepare.  Do you know anyone who has a smoker?  Yeah, me either.

Last year, after watching someone on the foodnetwork pressure cook beef short ribs, I decided to try the same for baby backs, with great success.  The only special equipment you'll need is a pressure cooker and any type of grill (in a very worst case scenario, you could use the broiler in your oven).  They're not quite the smokey ribs you get from smoking for 6 hours, BUT YOU WON'T HAVE TO SPEND 6 HOURS, or buy a smoker, or chop wood for your smoker, or smell like smoke, or...

Here's my recipe for ribs done easy in less than an hour:

Ribs (depending on the size of your pressure cooker, you may be able to fit in two racks cut into thirds, but may have to do this in two batches if you've got a big crowd.)

Cooking Liquid (I recommend something sweet like apple juice, you can use anything.  you'll need enough to have about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker.

1 Onion

BBQ Sauce (I recommend Sweet Baby Ray's, available at most stores, and definitely at Wal-Mart).

Spice Rub:  Buy one, or mix the following:
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
2 T. salt or seasoned salt
1 T  garlic powder
1 t.  black pepper
1 T  Chili Powder (That's Chili, not Chile.  If you don't know the difference leave me a comment and I'll respond)
1 t.  paprika


Got all of the ingredients?  Ok, here we go:

1.  Lay the ribs meat side down.  You'll see the membrane covering the underside of the rack.  To remove this, insert a small knife, ice pick, or any sharp object underneath the membrane between any two of the ribs.  Once you can grip the membrane, pull back the membrane and further separate with the sharp object until you have removed the entire membrane.  This can be a tough ordeal sometime, but it's absolutely necessary!  If it's too slippery, try using a paper towel to help you grip the membrane.

2.  Once the membrane is removed, rub both sides of the ribs with the spice rub, working it in with your fingers.  Then cut the rack into manageable size portions of ribs that will fit in your cooker.

3.  Place in the cooker with the cooking liquid and quartered onion.  Once you've sealed your pressure cooker, cook on medium high until it comes to pressure.  Once you've reached pressure cook an additional 30 minutes.  At this point remove from heat and let cool down slightly before removing the lid.
*Here's a pressure cooker safety guide in case you've never used one.  Don't blow yourself up.

4.  Now the fun part that is gonig to make your ribs tangy and slightly charred.  Make sure you have your grill on medium high, and spray the cooking surface with non-stick cooking spray before using.  When you remove your ribs from the cooker they won't look very appetizing.  We're gonna change that!  Using a pastry brush, rub one side of your ribs with a coating of BBQ sauce.  Place the ribs sauce side down on the grill, and let the sauce caramelize for a few minutes.  In the meantime, baste the other side with sauce.  When the sauce is just starting to char, flip the ribs. You'll repeat this process, basting and flipping every few minutes so that your ribs will form a juicy caramelized BBQ sauce crust on the outside, as the bbq sauce will adhere to and build up on the ribs with every basting and flipping.  I usually do this about 4 times.

Enjoy!  I'll admit ribs can be an intimidating task, but you can do it.  With ribs usually running between 2.99 and 4.99 a pound, this recipe will allow you to comfortably provide a rib dinner for 4 at around $15, or roughly the cost for one of you at a restaurant.