There’s no better time than Labor Day to have a cookout! These ribs are perfect. They are low maintenance – the hardest part is waiting for them to cook. It’s worth the wait, cooking them low & slow creates a tender, juicy final product. First, they are slow cooked in the oven, then seasoned, and lastly charred on the grill.
We usually put bbq sauce on one slab of ribs and dry rub on the other. And of course, we always have extra bbq sauce for dipping! I used to hate ribs and bbq sauce growing up. Seriously, I would eat anything else (except maybe sloppy joes or a pot roast..) just so I didn’t have to eat the ribs. Now I’ve learned to like ribs, but I’m a bit picky. After eating ribs cooked for hours in the oven then grilled, I can’t eat them any other way! The texture and flavor is just perfect.
I’m sharing my family rib recipe, but the dry seasoning we use is a secret. Maybe not so much of a secret as it is a lost recipe. My dad got a huge container of the dry seasoning from a coworker a while back, and my dad doesn’t know what is in it! And it’s an unlabeled bottle with just the words Dry Rub Seasoning. So, remaking the dry seasoning took a few trials, but I’m happy with the recipe I finally used! It doesn’t taste exactly the same, but it’s pretty close!
As for the bbq sauce, I’m just using store bought sauce. I love making my own bbq sauce, but I’m making this recipe as easy as possible. My favorite bbq sauce is either from Winking Lizard or Great Lakes Brewing. Unfortunately, these are both Cleveland/Columbus based companies. They sell them in grocery stores near me, but they sell them online too (if you’re interested buy them here or here)! What’s your favorite bbq sauce??
Mom's Grilled Ribs

Yield: makes 1 slab of ribs |
The secret to the best ribs? Cook them low & slow. Baked in the oven, then grilled for the perfect char. Seasoned with a dry rub or bbq sauce.
You'll Need...
- 1 slab pork ribs
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup light beer
- 1/2 - 1 cup bbq sauce (plus extra for dipping)
- 1 tablespoon your favorite dry rub seasoning - I like this recipe, but I use 1/2 the salt.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Line a deep side baking dish with foil. Place ribs in dish, breaking in half if you need to. Pour in the apple cider vinegar and beer.
- Cover pan tightly with foil. Cook ribs for 2 hours. .
- Remove ribs from oven. Season with dry rub and/or bbq sauce. Grill ribs until lightly charred about 3 minutes per side. Serve with extra bbq sauce.
Additional Notes
images and text © North Coast Eats
adapted from my mom's brain
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