Dr. Pepper Ribs
Prep Time: 15 minutes Parboiling Time: 30 to 40 minutes Letting the ribs steam in their own happy juices time: 40 to 60 minutes Cooking Time on the Grill: 40 to 50 minutes
Total prep and cooking time to amaze your friends and family (also known as hanging out time and impressing time): 2 to 2 ½ hours pure bliss!Experience Level needed to pull off WOW Factor: Beginner
How many people can you serve: Well that depends on if Uncle Larry shows up…bank on 2...that is Unlce Larry over there on the left....
to 3 ribs per person. If you have a bunch of Uncle Larry’s…maybe like 6 ribs per person.
Pork Ingredients:
2 slabs of Pork Ribs…doesn’t matter if it’s Spareribs, or Baby backs, or even Country style ribs...seriously…it does not matter!
1 – 1 liter bottle of Dr. Pepper
Enough Water to cover ribs at least 1 inch after you pour Dr. Pepper into pot to boil the ribs.
Rub Ingredients:
Holly’s Symphony of Seasonings Rub…available at www.sweetlifesaucecompany.com. It’s a no salt rub so it won’t take away from the tasty porky goodness of the ribs.
Or…you could use one of the salt laden rubs you can find at your local grocery.
Or...you could throw together whatever spices you would like on your Dr. Pepper Ribs.
Directions:
Get a pretty big pot on the stove and pour 1 liter of Dr. Pepper into the pot. Take your Ribs…again…doesn’t matter the type and get them split up into half slabs of 6 to 8 ribs each…for country style…just 6 or 8 individual ribs counts just the same. Drop the half slabs into the Dr. Pepper and then cover the ribs with water so you have at least an inch of water covering the ribs.
Boil them! Boil them until they are pretty much cooked through…at our elevation in Florida of 63 feet above sea level it takes about 35 minutes or so to get them about right.
Pull them from the boiling water and place them in a very clean cooler or metal bowl so they can be tightly covered. See…you want them to steam in their own happiness of flavor, and fat, and juiciness. Let em’ sit in their own happiness for 40 to 60 minutes. While this is happening…hang out with your friends and family…let them know how difficult this recipe has been so far and that you are really giving them “all you have.” When they are not looking, kick your feet up and watch your favorite team or listen to your favorite song.
Once the ribs have steamed in the cooler or metal bowl at the 40 to 60 minute time frame…pull the ribs out in front of everyone. Be sure to act all chef-like and say some wise words about how the tenderness of the meat was accentuated by the extra 5 minutes of steaming time. This will draw some keen observations from your friends and family and may result in some ooh’s and ahh’s.
Fire up your gill…go with a low heat setting and use a rack in the top of your grill if you have one…let you’ re grill get up to temperature…you’re looking for 300 to 350 degrees at the top of your grill.
It’s RUB TIME! Place generous amounts of Rub on your steamed ribs…be sure to give them a good coating. Doesn’t have to be real thick…just enough to complement the meat and the Sweet Life or Spice of Life BBQ Sauce you will finish the ribs with and use as a dipping sauce once the ribs are completed.
Place the steamed and rubbed ribs on a platter to move out to the grill…make sure everyone sees you and gets a quick whiff of the wonderful rubbed porky goodness that passes them.
Place the half slabs on the grill…again, if you have a top rack, put them there. Now…let them sit in that grill for about 7 to 8 minutes…fret a lot about correct temperature this, proper heat circulation that, to your friends and family while this is happening as it adds to the flavor profile in their minds.
Once 7 to 8 minutes has passed…open the grill and just say “WOW…THAT IS THE SHIZZLE!!! THEY LOOK PERFECT”…then close the grill and slap some high fives with your family.
Let em ‘ ride for about another 7 to 8 minutes… ask your brother in law to come over to the grill and smell the wonderful porky, Dr. Peppery, rub-ee goodness…position him just right. Open the grill...be sure to fret again about the hard work and time you put into this grilling all done for the benefit of your friends and family…at a sacrifice to you.
Turn the ribs to the other side and repeat the steps above…be sure to make a big deal about this…you’ve worked “hard” to pull this off…know that your taste buds will be rewarded! Your ribs are done when you find the meat flaking off the bone when you try to touch it with your tongs. If you like your ribs a bit more chewy…don’t take so much time…if you like the meat to just fall off the bones…take a little more time...we’re talking the difference between 10 to 15 minutes. You’re looking at 40 to 50 minutes total to have them to where you want them. See…the sugars in the Dr. Pepper are going to come out to the surface while you slow cook these ribs and caramelize to a tasty, crispy, yummy exterior while leaving the inside juicy and tender.
Take some Sweet Life BBQ Sauce or Spice of Life BBQ Sauce and liberally baste the slabs of ribs about 5 to 10 minutes before you are ready to take them off the grill…let the BBQ Sauce caramelize on the ribs in this time…let the BBQ Sauce become one with the porky, rub-ee, goodness.
Take the ribs off the grill and put on a clean serving platter or cutting board…let them rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Once rested, gently cut them into individual ribs, finding the meaty, porky center between each bone.
Time to serve them up! Enjoy! ALL will be well in the land!