MIKE’S FAVORITE BABY BACK RIBS

• 1 full rack or as desired baby back pork ribs
• ½ c (variable) Shirley J BBQ Sauce Mix

• 3 c root beer (diet works fine as well)
• 1 c Shirley J BBQ Sauce Mix

The night before – prepare ribs by washing thoroughly and patting dry with a paper towel. Remove any tough membrane that may be on the back of the rack, (note: most rib racks have already had this removed). Lay ribs on a baking sheet and sprinkle with a generous amount of Shirley J BBQ Sauce Mix. Rub seasoning into the ribs and flip rack over, repeat for other side. Carefully wrap ribs in plastic wrap and place in cooler for a minimum of 4 hours (preferably overnight). Prepare sauce by combining root beer and sauce mix in saucepan, stir well to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour sauce into covered container and place in refrigerator.

Remove ribs from cooler and remove plastic wrap. Place rack, bone side down on a baking sheet, cover loosely with foil and bake in a 280 degree oven for 3-3 ½ hours. Remove ribs from oven, remove foil and allow to cool for 1 hour, minimum. Ribs can be refrigerated for several days before grilling or frozen for up to 6 months.

Finishing the ribs – to finish the ribs, after they have cooled, carefully place each rack on a medium hot BBQ grill, bone side down, close lid and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes, flip rack over and grill, on the meaty side. Allow meat to cook for additional 2-3 minutes. Flip rack back over and mop with BBQ sauce, allowing it to cook for 2-3 minutes again repeat for other side. BBQ sauce should caramelize on the meat as it cooks. When meat is hot remove ribs and serve. Serve extra sauce at the table.