Barbecued Spare Ribs: Baked, Roasted, then Grilled to Perfection

In a "celebration" of past Daring Baker and Daring Cook challenges, Lisa challenged all of us to search through the Daring Kitchen archives and pick any one we'd like! The REAL challenge was picking which delicious recipe(s) to try!

This month's Daring Baker's challenge is so much fun! Because we were given the option, I knew I was going straight to the Daring Cook's side of the fence because (sob) I am pregnant and sweets have been making me kind of sick. On that note, my brain cells are diminishing as the baby grows and though I picked the April 2012 "Create Your Own Recipe" challenge, I didn't read into the mandatory items so I didn't come even close to following the challenge rules! There was a list of ingredients to include (kind of an obscure tricky list, so you'd have to get clever and creative) and I used none of them...So anyways, since I'm tired, I'm sticking this up here regardless and refusing to redo it...Though I will say I think the original challenge was an awesome idea!

I've always wanted to perfect a recipe for barbecue ribs, and thanks to this challenge, I think I've done it! 

 Step One:  Salt and Sugar Bake

 Step Two:  Spice Rub Roast

Step Three: Sauce on the Grill

A bit time consuming, though most of that time is inactive while you wait for the meat to bake to perfect tenderness...and it's worth the wait!  You can also find recipes for my spectacular sides (Zesty Buttered Corn on the Cob and Loaded Smashed Potatoes) here!

Barbecued Pork Ribs
Serves 2 to 4.

Step One, 3 hours:

2 pound rack of pork spare ribs
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 250F.

Cut ribs into 2 sections so you can fit the racks in a foil tray.  Rub salt and sugar all over the ribs and wrap tightly in tinfoil.  Place the foil packets in a foil tray and bake for 3 hours.

Step Two, 10 minutes:

1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Heat the oven to 500F.  Remove the ribs from their foil packets.  Pour any liquid out of the foil tray.  Mix all spices together and rub all over the warm ribs.  Return the ribs to the foil tray (not wrapped in tinfoil).  Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, being careful not to burn the sugar.

Step Three, 10 minutes:

1/3 cup favorite barbecue sauce

Preheat the grill to medium-high (direct heat).  Slice the ribs into sections about 3 to 4 ribs wide.  Place the ribs on the grill, bone side down.  Reduce the grill's heat to medium.  Brush the top of the ribs with sauce and close the grill for 4 minutes.  Flip and brush with sauce.  Close the lid and grill for 4 minutes.  Flip and brush one more time, closing the lid for several minutes more.  Remove from the grill and serve.

Enjoy!