Barbequed ribs in a Dutch oven! Could this ever be as good as smoked ribs? Rubbed ribs? Smothered in sauce ribs? I’ll wager these ribs will make you think twice about doing them any other way. It took me almost a year to perfect this recipe. Trial after horrible trial, really, I had to eat every one of those ribs until this recipe was perfect! Its tough work and someone must do it…..

I had tasted BBQ’d ribs in a Dutch oven a couple of years ago. Quite a surprise, tasted like BBQ, very juicy and falls off the bone tender. Resolved to duplicate this incredible meal outdoors and with the same style, flavor and finesse, I set to work. My original plan was an exact duplicate of the original recipe that as everyone knows tends to change at every attempt unless you follow a written recipe.

A 12” Dutch oven was my first choice of pots. Cut my ribs in half and layer them. This seemed to result in an uneven coating of BBQ sauce so I switch to a 14” with the same results. Stacking the ribs wasn’t what I was looking for; don’t get me wrong, the ribs were awesome every time.

Cabela’s had my solution, an oval Dutch oven which they call a “Oval Roaster/Griddle”. You can see the roaster in the pictures below and I will do a thorough review in my next post. I will also be sharing my rub and Dutch oven equipment, so stay tuned…

After many enjoyable trials and maybe a couple of errors, here you go:

Ingredients:

1 - Rack of ribs (Trimmed, I prefer St. Louis cut)

Rub of your choice (I’ll share my “borrowed” recipe in another post)

1 – Red Bell Pepper

1 – Yellow Bell Pepper

1 – Red Onion

1 – Bottle of BBQ Sauce (I use Trader Joe’s Kansas City BBQ sauce)

1 – Bottle of Dark Beer.

1 – 14″ Dutch oven or 1 Oval Dutch oven roaster (Cabela’s)

Recipe:

Wash and trim ribs. Remove skin on back of ribs with a paper towel. Dry and apply rub on both sides. Slice Bell peppers and Onion, place in bttom of Dutch oven.

 Place rubbed ribs on top of Bell peppers and Onion.

Pour BBQ sauce on top of ribs, enough to cover thickly.

Pour 1/2 to 3/4 of beer around sides to coat bottom, I usually same some for me, maybe 1/3 of cooks sample.

Cooking time:

Try to cook at least two hours. Depending on your pot and weather conditions, start out with the basic three up three down formula and work from there. 350  degrees seems to be the best for me. (I’ cover this later also) Cook up to three hrs and you might have to use a spoon to eat your ribs.

Here is my oval roaster sitting on two lid holders. Worked great!

All done and lookin good!! The soupy pepper and onion mess at the bottom is excellent spread on top of the ribs…..

Give this recipe a try and I bet you’ll share this with your friend when they come over for some Outdoor Cooking.

Related Reading:

The Beginner's Guide To Dutch Oven Cooking

Glorious One-Pot Meals: A Revolutionary New Quick and Healthy Approach to Dutch-Oven Cooking

Pork and Sons

When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?

The Cast Iron Chef: The Main Course. With a wide range of dishes, and help on how to cook dutch oven in your home, dutch oven cooking has never been easier.

CHARCUTERIE AND FRENCH PORK COOKERY

Bruce Aidells's Complete Book of Pork: A Guide to Buying, Storing, and Cooking the World's Favorite Meat