It’s summmmmmaaaaa time! Can you guess what my favorite part about summer is? If you’re thinking super cute bikinis, hot days in cutoff shorts, tanning by the pool, and cocktails on the beach. You’re wrong. Except for maybe that last one. While I do love summer, I in no way want a swimsuit within 100 yards of me. Wearing cutoff shorts gives me a rash on my thighs from them rubbing together when I walk. And while I get tan within about 3.5 minutes of being in the sun, there is nothing appealing to me about baking in 110 degree weather. Why would I want to be stranded on an uncomfortable chair, sweating profusely, and increasing my risk of skin cancer with every passing minute? Ten years ago I would have happily slathered Coppertone tanning oil (with an SPF of 4 mind you) all over my twenty something pre-baby body, thrown my hair up in a cute messy bun, and allowed myself to glisten in the sun like a piece of fried chicken, sipping my Coors Light and listening to the new Rihanna CD. But yeah. Laying out is definitely a hobby from the past. My goodness when did I get so old?

But back to the point, my favorite part about summer is…the food! Shocking right? Ryan’s favorite summer dish of mine is ribs with my homemade BBQ sauce. I hope you appreciate this post because I painstakingly made every effort to calculate exact measurements for my sauce. Even Ryan asked why I had measuring spoons out when I started. But here’s the thing before you try out this recipe. The best part about a “homemade” sauce is that every time you make it, it comes out just slightly different. Still amazing, but different. That couldn’t be more true of this BBQ sauce. Because I toss in whatever I have on hand, and then add more of one thing or another as it cooks, it’s almost impossible to get an exact version each time. Hopefully you find this version tasty.  

**Prep for the ribs

My personal favorite to use are pork spare ribs with my least favorite being baby back ribs. The ones from Costco seem to give me the most bang for my buck but grocery store ribs work just as well. To prep your ribs, make sure they are defrosted beforehand, rinse them off under water, and pat dry with a paper towel. I like to lay mine out on a large cutting board and lightly season them with just a touch of sea salt and cracked pepper. The BBQ sauce has enough flavor so you don’t need much to start with. I use a technique that involves two different cooking styles, steaming and then grilling, but if you have a personal favorite then just scroll on down to the sauce. I place my ribs, meat side down, on a roasting rack which is set inside a large roasting pan. It’s ok if they overlap slightly and sometimes I even cut the rack of ribs in half so they fit better. Next, pour 3 cups of boiling water into the bottom of the roasting pan, ensuring that the water does not touch the meat. This is why the roasting rack is nice to have. Cover the entire pan with foil, making sure to seal all the edges tightly. Place the pan in a 300 degree oven and steam the ribs for one hour. Once the hour is up, pull the roasting pan out and remove the foil. Warning. There is a whole lot of scalding hot steam under that foil so do that step carefully. I place my ribs on a baking sheet for the next step, but they can also be cooled and stored for up to a day in the fridge if you plan to BBQ later. But I don’t think they’re as good that way. Now. On to the sauce.

This sauce is slightly on the sweet side with just a kick of heat. If you like yours more on the spicy side, take out the brown sugar and add more red pepper flakes. It’s also very thick so keep that in mind when you grill. Due to the high sugar content it can start up a big flame if you tend to walk away and not pay attention to your grill. But, as a fire wife, I’ve never had to have my husband put out a raging fire on our grill, so…

**Meg’s homemade BBQ sauce

In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, sauté the following over medium heat:

–  1 small onion diced

–  2 Tbsp olive oil

–  1 Tbsp butter

*Once onion is translucent, add in 2 cloves of chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute

Add in:

–  38 ounce container of ketchup (or roughly that much) I only use Heinz. Don’t even come at me with that Hunt’s crap, another off-brand, or anything organic. Not. The. Same.

–  ¼ cup water

–  ¼ cup white vinegar

–  ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar

–  1 Tbsp. molasses

–  3 Tbsp. chili powder

–  1 Tbsp. dry mustard

–  1 Tbsp. paprika

–  3 Tbsp. yellow or grain mustard

–  3 Tbsp. worchestire sauce

–  1 Tbsp. dry mustard

–  1 tsp. salt

–  1 tsp. garlic powder

–  ½ tsp. black pepper

–  ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

–  ½ tsp. cinnamon

–  ½ tsp. cumin

Stir well to combine and then drop the heat to low. Cover the pot and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often. Just like your ribs, this sauce can be made ahead of time and used later; I store mine in mason jars in the fridge.

When you’re ready to cook the ribs, get your grill going on high. I personally use a gas grill but it can easily be done on charcoal. However, don’t look for those directions here because I have no clue how to use those things. I mean, I flip a switch and there’s heat. With charcoal, there’s coals, and lighter fluid, and waiting…yeah, not my style.

Next, spoon the BBQ sauce in a thin layer on the meat side only and then place that side down on the grill, meaning the bone side will be up. Now spoon sauce on the bone side, close your grill, and set your timer for five minutes. Again, don’t walk too far away as my sauce is so amazing it has been known to start fires. At the end of five minutes, flip your ribs, apply a second coat of sauce on the meat side, close your grill, and again, 5 minutes. Repeat that step once more for an additional 5 minutes, then pull those bad boys off! So basically you’re grilling for a total of 15 minutes. Meat side, bone side, back to meat side. I also put a little more sauce on the meat side after they come off the grill if I have any left. If this is confusing, just come over. I’m a much better teacher in person. Even better when you bring 805 with you.

Throw those bad boys on a cutting board, stand them upright, and cut at an angle following the bone. Serve with a potato or pasta salad (click here for my favorite), some corn, and bam. Summer on a plate.

Now. Who’s on their way with that 805?