My son Ethan and I love BBQ ribs. When we visit BBQ restaurants he and I both always order ribs.  For his 10th birthday, Ethan asked if he could go to Chili’s  to eat ribs.

Okay so you get it… we really like ribs. Unfortunately, I have never been able to master the techniques of cooking said pork.  They usually  come out burnt and tough.

My husband  and I went to the grocery store to pick up the necessities for our 4th of July celebration, which we were holding a day early.  There they were in the in the meat case begging to be slathered in BBQ sauce and grilled to perfection.  I had to have them but how in the heck was I going to make them good. My history with cooking ribs was not commendable.  Until… I remembered my husbands Aunt Karen making a turkey several Thanksgivings ago  in an ice chest… could it work?

Here’s what I did…

The night before the event, Ethan and I mixed the  brown sugar,  cumin, cayenne pepper, and garlic and onion powders into a bowl. We then added the vinegar, enough to make the mixture wet.  We then rubbed the meat (I had 3 racks cut in half)  with our mixture and let refrigerate overnight. When the time came I warmed up the grill to 325 degrees. I put the ribs on the grill for 45 minutes. After that I lathered on the BBQ sauce and let them grill for 15 more minutes.  We then took each rack and double rapped them in foil and placed them in a small ice chest for an hour. I will  tell you they were the hit of the party. By far,  the best ribs that I have ever made.  They were yummy.

The best part of the whole experience was the fun that Ethan and I had it the kitchen.

• 3 Racks of Baby Back Ribs
• tbsp garlic powder
• tbsp of onion powder
• tsp of cumin
• tsp of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 to 2 tbsp vinegar
• heavy duty aluminum foil
• 1 or 2 zipper bags

You can alter these seasonings to taste. For a spicer rib add more cayenne or for more of a southwest flavor add more cumin.