Can you believe we’re already in July?! I swear, I still feel like New Year’s Eve was just 2 weeks ago. It’s crazy how time is just zooming by! Next thing you know, I’ll be posting Thanksgiving and Christmas recipes! Actually, now that I think I about it, I should start researching Thanksgiving dishes. I like planning in advance. Jason thinks I’m crazy for mentioning Thanksgiving this early in the year but I think it’s just having good sense! Wouldn’t you foodies agree?

But before I start talking about possibly deep-frying a 13 pound turkey for November, let’s talk about these phenomenal ribs. They begin with a dry rub, and once that’s slathered everywhere, it bakes in a low oven for a couple of hours. Then we pour on the AH-MAZING balsamic peach BBQ sauce for 30 minutes, basting every 15 minutes to ensure that the juicy flavor gets caramelized. Then we finish these babies off under the hot broiler to give it a good char.

These ribs are perfect for the 4th of July holiday as they are a wonderful twist from the traditional BBQ wet ribs, involving flavors of spiciness, sweetness, fruitiness and a bit of tartness in every bite. Serve these alongside with some fries and I call that the best 4th of July ever.

So here’s how you make these:

Let’s start with a rack of baby back ribs.

Then let’s make the dry rub. Give it a good stir with a fork.

Once that’s made, we’ll slather it all over the ribs. You want to get it EVERYWHERE.

Then we’ll wrap this up in some foil, meat-side down, and we’ll fold them up to make sealed packets. Pop it into the oven at 200 degrees F for 2 hours.

While the ribs are baking, let’s make the BBQ sauce by sautéing some onions and jalapeños.

Then we’ll stir in the peaches, balsamic vinegar, agave nectar or honey, Dijon, brown sugar and black pepper.

We’ll simmer this until it reduces a bit and thickens, about 15-20 minutes.

After the 2 hours are up, take the ribs out of the oven and unfold the sealed packets. I should warn you that these ribs will smell AH-MAZING and you’ll want to eat them right away!

So as you’re fighting all your urges to dig in, let’s slather on that BBQ sauce and pop it back in the oven. Be sure to baste every 15 minutes for the next 30 minutes.

I changed the oven setting to a high broil for an additional 2 minutes to get that charredness (is this even a word?) on it.

Slice these babies up and serve them alongside the remaining balsamic peach BBQ sauce. You’ll want to keep adding more and more with every bite!

Don’t forget to check out the other wonderful foodies for this week’s July 4th #SundaySupper!

Main Dishes:

Salads and Sides:

Desserts:

Fabulous Pairings by Martin from ENOFYLZ

One year ago: Cheesy Bacon Biscuits

Baby Back Ribs with Balsamic Peach BBQ Sauce (adapted from The Pioneer Woman and Savoring the Thyme):

Yields 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoons ground black pepper
  • 1 slab pork baby back ribs

For the balsamic peach BBQ sauce:

  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 1 small sweet onion, chopped
  • 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
  • 2 large ripe peaches, chopped
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup agave nectar or honey
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Place a cooling rack inside a baking sheet; set aside.

To make the spice rub, combine the brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Place the ribs on a piece of foil large enough to fold into a packet. Sprinkle the spice rub over the ribs, rubbing in thoroughly on all sides. With the ribs meat-side down, tightly fold the foil to form sealed packets.

Place the sealed packets on top of prepared rack and bake for 2 hours.

While the ribs are baking, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeños and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Stir in the peaches, balsamic vinegar, agave nectar or honey, Dijon, brown sugar and pepper.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the foil, baste with the BBQ sauce and place into oven for an additional 30 minutes, basting twice more.

For extra caramelization, the ribs can be finished for a few minutes under the broiler  before being coated with additional BBQ sauce.

Serve immediately.

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