Baby Back Ribs in the Oven

Mateo Miguel Delgado-Ortiz arrived Tuesday morning at 6:47 AM. Seven pounds eleven ounces. Dark hair. A quiet baby, which nobody in this family is used to.

Jenny had been up half the night with contractions and Miguel Jr. drove her to Hartford Hospital at 4 AM. She had Lucas and Isabella dropped with me Monday afternoon in preparation, which meant I spent Monday night with two small children in the house — Lucas (four and a half) in the guest room on the blow-up mattress, Isabella (two and a half) in the pack-and-play I keep permanently set up in the little office — and neither of them slept well, because neither of them has slept here before without their parents, and Isabella cried at 11 PM for "Mommy," and I sat with her and sang "Las Mañanitas" and "Bendito Sea Dios" very softly until she slept, and Lucas came out at 2 AM saying he had "a dream about a fish," and I let him get in bed with me and Eduardo, and nobody slept much.

At 7 AM Tuesday Miguel Jr. texted a photo. Mateo, on Jenny's chest, small, dark-haired, eyes open. I cried over my coffee. Eduardo drove the kids to Miguel Jr. and Jenny's house where Jenny's mother Linda had arrived to take over. I went straight to the hospital — I was off work Tuesday and Wednesday, planned months in advance — and I held Mateo for forty minutes while Jenny slept and Miguel Jr. ate a sandwich for the first time since the contractions had started.

Mateo. Sixth grandchild. Third for Miguel Jr. and Jenny. He looks like his tío David did at this age, which Jenny does not know and which I do not say out loud, because Jenny does not need to hear that her third biological child resembles her brother-in-law. But he does. He has the Delgado nose. The Ortiz chin. He is ours.

I made sopa de pollo Tuesday night after I got home. A double batch. Half went into the freezer for Miguel Jr. and Jenny for later this month. Half went directly to their house on Wednesday afternoon, along with containers of rice, beans, pernil slices, and four pasteles. Jenny's mother Linda was still there; she will stay until Sunday. Mateo was sleeping in the bassinet. Isabella was ignoring him, which is normal. Lucas was holding the baby's hand with a reverence I have not seen from him before. He said, "Abuela, he is so small." I said, "You were this small too, mijo." He said, "Impossible." I said, "True."

Mami came Sunday to my house to hear the news — I had told her by phone on Tuesday, and she had been excited, and she said, "Another great-grandchild, the fourth, what a year" — and I served her sopa de pollo and she ate two bowls and she asked when she could meet Mateo. I said, "Next weekend, Mami, when he is ready." Wepa.

The sopa de pollo was for the first week — tender, warm, easy to eat with one hand while the other holds a newborn. But Mateo is going to grow, and Miguel Jr. and Jenny are going to sleep again someday, and when we finally gather everyone together — Lucas, Isabella, Mateo, Mami, Eduardo, Linda, all of us around one table — I want something big and falling-off-the-bone and worth making a mess over. These baby back ribs, low and slow in the oven, are exactly that kind of meal: the kind that says we made it through, and now we eat.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 racks baby back ribs (about 4–5 lbs total)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 cup barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Prep the ribs. Preheat oven to 275°F. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels and remove the silver membrane from the bone side by sliding a butter knife under it and pulling it off with a paper towel for grip.
Make the dry rub. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, and cayenne (if using). Mix well.
Season generously. Rub the spice mixture all over both sides of the ribs, pressing it in. Place each rack bone-side down on a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Wrap and bake. Drizzle the apple cider vinegar over the ribs, then wrap each rack tightly in the foil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours, until the meat is tender and pulling away from the bones.
Sauce and broil. Carefully open the foil and drain excess liquid. Brush the ribs generously with barbecue sauce on the bone side, then flip and brush the top side. Return to the oven, uncovered, and broil on high for 4–5 minutes until the sauce is caramelized and slightly charred at the edges. Watch closely.
Rest and slice. Let the ribs rest for 5 minutes before cutting into individual ribs. Serve with extra barbecue sauce on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Baby Back Ribs in the Oven — Not What I Made, But What I’m Making Next