David’s Fall Off The Bone Ribs

With a name like David’s Fall Off The Bone Ribs, you might be asking yourself a few questions.  Did David magically learn to cook?  Did he somehow graduate from baked potatoes to advanced meat cooking techniques?  Unfortunately, the answer to both questions is no.  Don’t worry people, despite the name, this recipe is 100% Amy.  But why name it for me?

For my birthday last year, Amy took me to a bed and breakfast in Kentucky close to the Woodford Reserve distillery.  Her plan was for us to get another stamp on our bourbon trail passport, then enjoy a night away.  The B&B was a James Beard award winner with squeaky floorboards and décor from the Civil War era.  Although they had a full dining room, we found ourselves in the tavern where we ordered a bourbon flight and random foods.  The food that caught my attention was their fall off the bone ribs.  I don’t know why, but that’s how I think ribs should be made.  Amy disagrees.  She thinks that ribs should be tender, have a smoke ring, shouldn’t be slathered in barbeque sauce, and should stick to the bone.  But when I told her (over and over) how great the tavern ribs were, she said she could make them, and make them she did!!

I was surprised how easy these ribs were to make!  The trickiest parts are the cooking liquid draining and the rib flipping.  A few helpful hints there before continuing with the recipe.  The foil wrap is key.  I put a line of foil underneath the ribs extending out several inches on each side, then another line of foil on top, and then sealed the top and sides by wrapping the foil over the top.  When you take the ribs out of the oven the first time, you have to drain out the cooking liquid.  I opened only one side of the foil, then, carefully holding the baking pan from below and the ribs from above, I poured the cooking liquid down the drain.  Then, I removed the top layer of foil.  After coating the top of the ribs in BBQ sauce, I placed a second wire rack on top of the ribs, then held both the top wire rack and bottom wire rack, the flipped the ribs.  You could try using tongs, but at this point the ribs could completely fall apart.  The recipe name is what it is for a reason!  You’re then set to remove the original wire rack, the bottom layer of foil, and coat the bottom of the ribs in BBQ sauce before the second trip to the oven.

Are you ready to get started making this recipe?  Head over to our shop page to make sure you have all of the necessary prep tools.  Then watch this short video and print a copy of the recipe below to try it out in your kitchen.  Enjoy!

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David's Fall Off The Bone Ribs

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

4 hrs

Total Time

4 hrs 15 mins

 

Don't let the name fool you, this recipe is 100% Amy.  These ribs are so tender, they fall right off the bone.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Amy Burns the Recipe Book

Ingredients

• 4 lbs St. Louis spare ribs (we used 3.85 lbs in our video)
• 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 8 fl oz barbeque sauce

Spices

• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp granulated onion
• 2 tsp granulated garlic
• 1.5 tsp pepper
• 1.5 tbsp salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 250.

2. Place a wire rack in a baking pan. The space in between the rack and the pan allows heat to circulate around the ribs. Place a line of foil on the wire rack extending a few inches past the point where the ribs will lay. Place the ribs on top of the foil, meat side down.

3. Brush a layer of Dijon mustard on the ribs, about 1.5 tbsp. Sprinkle half of each spice onto the ribs. Flip the ribs so that the meat side is up. Repeat prep with the remaining Dijon mustard and spices.

4. Place a line of foil on top of the ribs and seal the bottom and top foil together by rolling and folding to the top of the ribs.

5. Bake at 250 for 3 ½ hours.

6. Remove from the oven. Be very careful, there is a lot of scalding hot cooking liquid inside of the foil. Carefully open one end of the foil. Holding the pan in one hand and the top of the ribs in the other, pour the cooking liquid out of the open end. Remove the top layer of foil. Place a second wire rack on top of the ribs. Grabbing both wire racks, flip the ribs. Remove the top wire rack and second layer of foil. The meat side should now be facing down.

7. Brush a layer of barbeque sauce on the ribs, about 4 fl oz. Using the second wire rack, flip the ribs again so that the meat is facing up. Brush the remaining barbeque sauce on top of the ribs, about 4 fl oz.

8. Bake at 250 for another 30 minutes.

Recipe Notes

If you want to crisp up the exterior of the ribs, you can turn the broiler on an broil for an additional 5-7 minutes.