Servings
1-2 per rack
Ready In:
5 hr + overnight
Difficulty:
Easy
Good For:
Dinner
By: Rick Bakas
Melissa Cookston’s recipe calls out using turbinado sugar. Until seeing this recipe I hadn’t even heard of turbinado sugar and had to google it. Turns out, it’s pretty easy to find and usually appears as sugar in the raw at Whole Foods and other markets. She likes it ground up when added to the rub citing its higher temperature for carmelization. No doubt that’s part of what gives those ribs their wonderful mohogany color.

Ingredients
BBQ Rub
- 1 rack baby back pork ribs, membrane removed
- 1 cup turbinado sugar, ground
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 6 TBSP Spanish paprika
- 4 TBSP chili powder
- 2 TBSP granulated garlic
- 1 TBSP onion powder
- 2 TSP ground cumin
- 2 TSP ground mustard
- 1 1/2 TSP cayenne pepper
- 1 TSP coarse ground black pepper
- 2 TBSP yellow mustard kosher salt
- BBQ Sauce for glazing
- 1/4 cup grape juice
Sauce
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup finely diced sweet or yellow onion
- 2 TBSP minced garlic
- 1 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 TBSP tomato paste
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup + 2 TBSP brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 TSP dry mustard
- 1 TSP cayenne
- 1 TSP fresh ground pepper
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1 – MAKE RIB RUB
For the basic BBQ rub: Using a coffee grinder, grind the turbinado sugar with a few “pulses” until it is lightly powdered. Combine with the granulated sugar, salt, onion powder, granulated garlic, cayenne, black pepper, mustard, chili powder, cumin and paprika in a bowl and hand stir until well incorporated. Store in an airtight container.Step 2 – MAKE SAUCE
For the BBQ mother sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low if the onion is cooking too fast–you don’t want it caramelized or browned. As the onion is getting close, add the garlic and cook until lightly golden, about 2 minutes longer. Add the ketchup, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, dry mustard, cayenne and black pepper and stir well. Slowly add up to 1/2 cup water until the sauce reaches the consistency you like. A slightly thick consistency is best. Add about 3 tablespoons of the basic BBQ rub, stir well and taste. The sauce should have a good, well-rounded flavor. Add more of the basic BBQ rub in 1-tablespoon increments until your desired flavor is achieved, up to about 1/2 cup total. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.Step – 3 PREP RIBS
Rinse the ribs and remove the membrane from the back. Trim any excess fat from the tops of the slabs. Trim 1 bone from the large end of the ribs and 2 bones from the small end. This will give you a much more consistent slab for cooking.