Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs: slide a butter knife under the membrane at one end, grab it with a paper towel for grip, and pull it off in one clean strip.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and cayenne for the dry rub.
- Brush both sides of the ribs with olive oil, then apply the dry rub generously, pressing it in. Let sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your grill for indirect cooking at 275-300°F. Place a drip pan filled with water on the direct-heat side to catch drips and create moisture.
- Place ribs bone-side down on the cool side of the grill. Close the lid and maintain temperature.
- Cook for 1.5 hours, spritzing with apple juice every 30 minutes to keep the ribs moist.
- Wrap each rack tightly in aluminum foil with 2 tablespoons of apple juice. Return to the grill for 30 more minutes.
- Unwrap the ribs and brush generously with Kinder's Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce.
- Grill uncovered for 15-20 minutes more, brushing with more sauce every 5 minutes, until the sauce caramelizes and the ribs are sticky and gorgeous.
- Ribs are done when the meat has pulled back from the bones about 1/4 inch. Do the bend test: pick them up from the center with tongs — they should bend and almost crack in half.
- Rest 10 minutes before cutting between the bones and serving.
Nutrition
Notes
- Pull the Membrane — Leaving it on blocks the dry rub from penetrating the meat and makes the ribs tough. Slide a butter knife under it, grip with a paper towel, and pull it off in one strip. Takes 30 seconds. Skipping it costs you the whole cook.
- Sauce in the Last Lap Only — Kinder's Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce goes on in the final 15-20 minutes. Not before. Brown sugar burns fast at grill temps — sauce too early and the glaze turns bitter instead of caramelized.
- Low and Slow Without Compromise — 275-300°F, no rushing. Cranking the heat to speed things up seizes the proteins before the collagen renders and you get tight, dry ribs. The two-hour cook is the recipe.
- Add Wood Smoke if You Have It — Toss a handful of soaked apple or cherry wood chips onto your coals or into a smoker box during the first hour. It builds a quiet smoke note without turning this into a full smoke cook.
- Make Extra Sauce — You will run out. Double up on the Kinder's Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce and put a ramekin on the table for dipping.
- Serve the racks on a big wooden board cut into individual bones, with a bowl of extra Kinder's Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce on the side. Pickled jalapeños and sliced white onion cut through the fat and keep each bite clean.
- Classic sides hold up here: creamy coleslaw, cornbread, and smoky baked beans. The smoke and fat of the ribs want something to cut against.
- If you're serving at a backyard cookout, cut the racks into individual bones before guests arrive and set them out on a board. They disappear before anything else hits the table.
- Wrap leftover racks tightly in foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The glaze holds well — ribs reheat better than most grilled proteins because the collagen keeps the meat moist.
- To reheat, keep them wrapped in foil and put them in a 250°F oven for 25-30 minutes. Unwrap, brush with a fresh coat of Kinder's Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce, and finish under the broiler for 3 minutes to revive the glaze. Don't microwave — the texture breaks and the bark goes soft.
- To freeze, wrap individual portions in foil, then seal in a zip bag. Good for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.