I love making ribs of all kinds no matter what time of year it is, but as the summer approaches it gets to be more and more the type of thing that people want to cook on the grill. Unfortunately, living in a condominium here in New York limits the grilling that we can do since we can’t have a charcoal or gas grill here. This means that I have to try to find ways to do this type of cooking indoors. I am always on the lookout for new recipes for ways to make spare ribs or baby back ribs (which are my personal favorite) and I came across this one from Williams-Sonoma on their website so I thought I would give it a try.

Baby Back Ribs

2 racks baby back ribs (about 5 pounds total)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup ketchup-style chili sauce
1/2 cup peach or apricot preserves
2 tablespoons dark molasses
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Preheat the oven to 350°. Cut each rib rack into 2 or 3 sections. Mix together the salt, paprika, oregano, thyme, granulated garlic, onion powder and pepper. Sprinkle the mixture on both sides of the ribs and rub it into the meat.

Arrange the ribs, overlapping slightly if necessary, in a large roasting pan. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, turn the ribs and return them to the oven. Continue cooking until the ribs are tender and browned, about 30 minutes more.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, stir together the chili sauce, peach preserves, molasses, vinegar, mustard and hot pepper sauce and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and set aside.

If you are you using a grill, prepare the grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-high heat. Lightly oil the cooking grate. Brush both sides of the ribs with the sauce. Place on the grill, cover and cook, turning once, until shiny and glazed, about 3 minutes per side. Alternatively, if you are planning to use the oven, increase the oven temperature to 425°. Pour off the fat in the roasting pan, then return the ribs to the pan. Brush the ribs with some of the sauce and cook until the ribs are shiny and glazed, about 5 minutes. Turn, brush the ribs with more of the sauce and cook to glaze the other side, about 5 minutes more.

Transfer the ribs to a carving board and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut between the bones into individual ribs, heap on a platter and serve with any of the remaining sauce.

You could easily use spare ribs for this recipe instead of the baby back ribs. Just keep in mind that the spare ribs tend to be larger and a little tougher than the baby back ribs so they will take more time to cook. You should allow for about 45 minutes of covered baking, another 45 minutes uncovered and then 15 minutes after you put the sauce on for glazing. I think they came out great cooked just in the oven but if you have the opportunity to put them on the grill after starting them in the oven I think you could get nice flavor from that as well. I like the glaze and the combination of the apricot preserves (which is what I had on hand), the chili sauce, the mustard and the hot pepper sauce. It made a nice combination and gave a great flavor to the ribs. I served this with sweet potatoes and corn on the cob, although you could easily do it with coleslaw and potato salad, which go great with things like ribs.

That’s all there is for today. Check back again next time and see which recipes that I will post. I tried a new method for burgers yesterday and made my own homemade hamburger rolls and a special ketchup, both recipes that I got from Marc Murphy, and I think they turned out great. Check in next time and I’ll be posting those recipes. I am also planning a few other things for the coming days and weeks so you want to keep checking back and see what comes along. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!