Ribs. Rubbed Ribs. Dry Rubbed Ribs.

Certainly I had to make ribs!

I told you I would, and now I want so much to share this with you!

This was a southern must, at least for a northerner going southern.

I did however encountered the imminent conflict: to dry rub, or to use barbecue sauce?

I thought for a while, and concluded that I would dry rub the ribs and mop them while grilling.

The best of both worlds perhaps, but packed with a unique flavor.

I used a shortcut, not being in my own kitchen with all of my pantry ingredients on hand, I used a store bought mop sauce and doctored it up!

What's the difference between a mop and a sauce you may wonder?

Well I looked it up and found out:

A mop tends to be much more acidic than a sauce, applied during the final grilling process adding moisture and flavor. A mop tends to use little if any sugar, mostly made of vinegar or beer, while a sauce can be based of tomato or molasses, it can burn much easier.

If you use a sauce, be sure to add it at the END of cooking if it contains sugar.

If you use a mop, add it throughout cooking to maintain moisture.

It's all dependent on sugar content for when you should apply it to meat.

Anyway!

Dry Rubbed Ribs

You will need

A rack of ribs of your own preference

For the dry rub:

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika (smoked paprika if you can find it!)

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons oil

For the ribs:

1 cup orange juice

A good quality mop sauce, altered to your own taste. (I usually add some worcestershire sauce, salt and beer)

A barbecue

Rub the ribs all over with the mix of these spices and oil, store in a container in the fridge for up to a full day. When you're ready to cook, bring the ribs out of the fridge and preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

Make a pouch of aluminum foil and place the rubbed ribs inside, when it is properly sealed open a small seam and pour in the orange juice, sealing again.

Place these ribs on a baking sheet and bake for 2 hours or until cooked and tender.

When they are fully cooked, transfer them to the heated barbecue and crust the outside, mopping continuously whenever they seem dry.

This barbecue process should take 15 minutes in total, including flipping.

Serve with greens, dirty rice, and mushrooms for a whole mess of an american meal!

I truly enjoyed cooking and eating these, so please try them so you might love them as well.