The BEST BBQ Sauce Recipe

You don’t have to wait until summer to make the best Baby Back ribs, in fact; let me share with you the BEST BBQ Sauce to complement your ribs and you make this recipe in your oven or on your BBQ year around. Another CookLikeADad cooking tip.

The BEST BBQ Sauce Recipe

With most of the East Coast and even California being hit with record lows this winter, I wanted to encourage the summer warmth with my rib recipe this month. That’s right, baby back ribs can be made in the oven or the BBQ and still bring back that summer feel. The secret comes from the sauce.

For years I have been keeping my BBQ sauce recipe a secret, but for the first time I am going to make it public to share with my followers. Take a look below and get your shopping list together and make some great BBQ Ribs with a special sauce that will leave your family and friends wanting to know the secret to the taste…

Feeds a Family of 4-5

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Ingredients

1-Package (3.5 pounds) of Baby Back Ribs, rinsed and wiped down of excess moisture

Olive oil and a paper napkin

1- Cup of your favorite BBQ Sauce

2-Tablespoons of Dark Brown Sugar

2-Tablespoons of HERSHEY’S Cocoa

Equipment options: Large Roasting Pan, Aluminum Foil, Mixing bowl, Oven or BBQ

 

The story behind the sauce…

So the whole reason behind this recipe post is the fact that I have been keeping my “secret ingredient” in my BBQ sauce away from friends and family for years. Every time I have them over, they have spent hours shouting out different ingredients that they think makes my ribs taste so different than anything else they have ever tried. From “Soy Sauce” to “Molasses”… my answer still remains “Nope, not even close”… Until now.

Today, I want to reveal my “secret ingredient” and show you how to follow these easy cooking steps and recipe and use a timeless ingredient that can make the difference in your BBQ sauce for your baby back ribs.

Cooking Steps: Prepping the Ribs

It doesn’t matter if you are using an oven or a BBQ, the key is to have a low level, constant temperature at 275 Degrees F*. Go ahead and get that heat started. The next step is to make sure your ribs are rinsed of their packaging juice and you have dried them down to damp. Take a paper napkin and pour some olive oil onto the napkin and wipe all sides of your baby backs.

Next Step: The 5-Hour Slow Burn

At this point, you need to pack your ribs in either your BBQ or an oven. Either way, make sure you wrap your ribs in aluminum foil and place them in a roasting pan and allow them to bake or BBQ for at least 5 hours at 275 Degrees F* Both cooking methods work, however, since it is the middle of winter, the roasting pan in an oven will work best due to limited resources and weather permitting. (My pictures show the BBQ because I live in sunny San Diego!) Set your timer for 4-hours, I will explain later.

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Next Step: How to Prepare the BEST BBQ Sauce

In the photo above, you can see the common ingredients next to my “secret ingredient” in my sauce mixture. What amazes me so many times, is how often people are unable to detect the use of Cocoa. This subtle but important ingredient is what makes the difference in enhancing the rest of the flavors in my sauce. In a separate small bowl take 1-Cup of your favorite BBQ sauce and add, 2 –tablespoons of Dark Brown Sugar and 2-tablespoons of HERSHEY’S Cocoa. Take a large spoon and mix all ingredients well to form a smooth base. Just a couple tablespoons of HERSHEY’S Cocoa makes a difference in the overall flavor of the sauce. This is what I call, the goodness of HERSHEY’S Cocoa.

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HERSHEY’S Goodness

This past summer I had the privilege as a Dad Cooking Blogger to visit Hershey Pennsylvania, home of The Hershey Company headquarters and product development. Part of my trip was to learn about the process of making many Hershey products as well as learning about the company’s campaign on Shared Goodness. This vision is to help the consumer know about the many steps in the product development that Hershey has invested time and resources in making sure that their products are making a positive impact to the food industry. Whether it’s sustainable agriculture in the farms that they receive their milk from Pennsylvania, or collaboration with the almond farmers in California; Hershey wants the consumer to know that they are aware of the “footprint” they leave in every step of the process.

For more information on the Hershey Shared Goodness program, click here.

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Next Cooking Step: The Last Hour

As I had you set your timer for 4 –hours, when the timer goes off, you will take the packaged ribs and unwrap the foil and cover the ribs with the BBQ sauce you have prepared. Cover the ribs with sauce, all sides and place back in the pan and in the oven or BBQ for the last hour. When you reach the 5th hour, remove the ribs from the oven or BBQ and serve.

 

Editors Note: RJ Jaramillo and CookLikeADad are a paid Brand ambassador for The Hershey Company. All thoughts, recipe, and opinions are my own and they are the same I would share with family, friends and followers.

 
 

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