Dee’s Homemade BBQ Sauce and Baby Back Ribs

Once you try this homemade bbq sauce, you’re gonna wanna drink it! The sweetness of the orange juice combined with the tanginess of the mustard and vinegar make for one amazing bbq sauce to douse all over these tender baby back ribs.

I’m not sure what the name of this barbecue sauce used to be, but since I’ve known it I’ve always called it Dee’s BBQ Sauce because Dee is the one who gave it to me.

I used to work with a woman named Dee so many years ago and when we worked closely together, we used to sit in our office and talk about food. Food, food, and more food. How we got on the subject of homemade bbq sauce I have no idea, but somehow we did and eventually Dee gave me her family’s recipe.

I was blown away when I made this for the first time. The OJ is the most unusual thing I’ve ever seen in a bbq sauce, but I’m telling ya it WORKS!!! My mom and I constantly say how we could literally drink this sauce, and usually when making it we have to “sample” it many times. Haha!

WHAT’S IN THIS HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE?

• Orange juice — sounds pretty strange to have orange juice in bbq sauce, but it really works!
• Butter — anything with butter is better and this sauce proves that theory.
• Sugar — makes it a sweet barbecue sauce.
• Vinegar — white distilled vinegar adds a little tang.
• Mustard — the bright yellow stuff, also adds tanginess.
• Ketchup — a usual candidate in Kansas City style bbq sauces.
• Worcestershire — gives a salty, umami like flavor. Also found in a lot of Kansas City sauces.

HOW TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

This is a two-step sauce, but it takes really no time to come together. About 30 minutes of cooking and you’re done!

Bring the orange juice, butter, sugar, vinegar, and mustard to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the ketchup and Worcestershire and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. If desired, add hot sauce to taste.

THE RIBS AND HOW I MAKE THEM

One of my favorite things to do with this sauce is slather it on a rack of baby back ribs. I used to smoke my ribs and while the flavor of smoke on ribs is amazing, I never could get them tender enough.

My mom has a technique for cooking ribs that makes the most tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs I’ve ever had, so I began using her method and will never go back to cooking ribs any other way.

If you already have an electric skillet, you’re halfway there. If not, you should think about getting one. I use it for a lot of things, such as my Red Wine Braised Pot Roast and my Gluten Free English Muffins to name a few. This is the one I use as it works really well for braising meats.

Make sure to remove the silver skin from the underside of the rack of ribs. Make a tiny slit at the end of the ribs to get a hold of it. Using a paper towel to help hang onto it (it’s wet and slippery), pull it all the way down the length of the ribs. It should peel right off.

Preheat the electric skillet to 375 degrees. Add a little olive oil (about a tablespoon) to the skillet. Carefully place the rack of ribs in the skillet and brown on both sides. Add one carton of chicken stock (4 cups) and bring to a full boil, then reduce to a simmer (about 200-225 degrees).

Cook the ribs for about 3-4 hours, checking the liquid level and adding water as needed as the stock evaporates. Flip the ribs over every 1/2 hour to an hour. You’ll be looking for fall-apart tenderness where the bones should look like they’re going to slip right off the meat.

FINISHING THE RIBS ON THE GRILL (OR IN THE OVEN)

I like to leave my ribs in the skillet with the lid on and allow them to cool before removing them and wrapping them in foil. I put them in the fridge to “firm up” before putting them on the grill brushed with the sauce.

It’s a great make-ahead method because all I have to do when ready to eat is brush them with the sauce and grill ’em up! You don’t have to do this ahead of time, but it makes for such an easy dinnertime! The ribs are already cooked and tender, so it’s about warming them up and getting a little char on them.

If you don’t feel like grilling them, you can always do what my mom does and put them in a 350 degree oven on a baking sheet and baste them with the sauce. It should take about the same time (roughly 30 minutes).

This Labor Day weekend, get the grill fired up and make both the sauce and ribs ahead of time. Throw ’em on the grill just before the party and you’ll have everyone licking their fingers!!