Ribs are always a crowd pleaser, but they seemed especially appropriate for Super Bowl Sunday. They’re savoury, sweet and sticky, the ultimate Super Bowl trifecta.

We enjoyed them with mashed yams and corn fritters today. The fritters were good, but I think that I can improve on that recipe, so I’ll save that one for another time.

Slow oven baked ribs are always really tender. They cook on low heat in their own juices. They’re super easy to make. There’s minimal prep and very little clean up afterward. This is my favourite cooking method for ribs. I also like the results in the slow cooker, but it takes longer and there’s more of a mess to clean up.

Ingredients:

1 rack of baby back ribs

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp chicken seasoning

2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp white pepper

1 tbsp Aleppo pepper

1 tsp oregano

You can adapt your rub ingredients based on what you have in your spice drawer. I would encourage you to include the cumin, brown sugar, chili powder and smoked paprika. These flavours are the key to achieving a sweet and smokey flavour.

Baby back ribs

Baby back ribs are my favourite, but you can use any kind you want. Just keep in mind, the size of your rack will impact your cooking time.

Cut the rack in half so that it’s easier to handle. Combine all the rub ingredients with your hands and press the rub onto the ribs. Place a chopped shallot on the underside of the rack before your wrap it up in the aluminum foil. The will impart some nice flavour and add a little moisture. Place the ribs on your baking sheet with the meaty side down.

Bake the ribs in the oven at 300 degrees for about two hours. Take the ribs out of the oven. Open up the aluminum the foil. Be careful; it’s steamy in there. Turn the ribs over. Top the ribs with your favourite barbecue sauce and put them back in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re lucky, there will be no leaks and you won’t have to clean your baking sheet. Just throw away the aluminum foil after serving. :0)

Serves two.

Enjoy!