GRILLED BABY BACK RIBS

Sorry for the photo above. It's not very good, but the ribs were. I've been making them for more than 30 years this way; the only thing I've changed is the BBQ sauce. Thirty years ago, no one talked about a rub, but that's what I did. I just didn't call it a rub. Now it's the trendy thing to do. I like layers of flavor, and that's what a rub gives you -- a layer of flavor. Add your BBQ sauce and there's another layer. Guy somehow latched on to John Boy and Billie's BBQ Sauce, the spicy version. (They also make regular, not spicy.) I can't seem to get him off it. I like to experiment, even when I've found a good recipe, but if I try to change this recipe, he'll be a very unhappy Italian, so I've been humoring him. Actually, it's not that hard, since the ribs are always great.

Here's what you do: For the rub, sprinkle on the ribs, in this order, according to your taste preferences: sea salt, pepper, cumin, crushed red pepper. (I use whole cumin seed and crush it in a mortar and pestle with the red pepper.) Wrap the ribs in heavy duty tinfoil with about 1/2 cup water. Put on a medium-hot grill (about 400 - 425 degrees F) for an hour, or until ribs are tender and water is almost evaporated.

Remove ribs from grill and slice into serving pieces. Slather with BBQ sauce on both sides. Grill 5 minutes each side. Serve. These are not sweet. They are hot. If you don't like spicy hot things, this is not your recipe.
I've been looking at rib recipes, and there are a few that have caught my eye. One is with coffee BBQ sauce. I'm going to sneak this in on Guy one day and hope he likes it. Then I won't be able to get him off that.