Root Beer Ribs

Root Beer Ribs

2 racks baby back ribs 
1 bottle (2 liters) root beer 
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 

Root Beer Barbecue Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
1/2 small white onion, finely chopped 
1 cup ketchup 
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
1 tablespoon light brown sugar 
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 
1 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 teaspoon chili powder 
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1.  Place ribs in large baking dish (I use my big roasting pan. I also generally cut each rack in half so I can get everything nestled in the pan easier). Pour all but 1 cup root beer over ribs. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons salt over ribs; cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to overnight, turning once if possible.

2.  Preheat oven to 350°. Remove ribs from root beer and pat dry with paper towel. Discard root beer in pan; wipe pan dry. Place ribs back into pan. Add 1 cup water; cover tightly with foil. Cook 2 hours or until meat is nearly falling off the bone.

3.  Meanwhile, make Root Beer Barbecue Sauce: In small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is soft, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients (including reserved 1 cup root beer and 1/2 teaspoon salt); heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

4.  Just before ribs hit the 2 hour mark in the oven, preheat grill for indirect grilling over medium-high heat. Put bones on cooler side of grill, bone side down. Brush with some Root Beer Barbecue Sauce and cook 10 to 15 minutes, then flip. Brush with sauce again and cook until ribs are lightly charred and meat is falling off bone. Serve with any remaining sauce. Bring wet-naps to the table.

Oh. My. Gosh. I loved, loved, loved these! This was our first time making ribs and it was surprisingly simple! There's a lot of prep work and clean up that is time consuming but, not that bad! And they turned out very tender and fell off the bone easily. I was afraid of them being tough and dry. We used pork ribs this time but want to try beef ribs next time.

And I made barbecue sauce! Sean said it was a little too sweet for him but I could drink that stuff. 

Oh, and if you have any stoneware, don't use it for this. I've scrubbed mine 4 times now and had to use a baking soda paste and it still didn't come all the way clean. Sad.