Lots of delicious things happening this summer.
Starting with these low and slow fiery chili BBQ ribs. Cooked via Sous Vide or in the crock pot for hours, leaving the most delicious tender ribs that just fall off the bone, every time.
The crock pot has always been the most magical way to cook ribs and they turn out finger licking good every time, however, I wanted to switch things up this time and try sous vide. If you don’t know what sous vide is, no worries! I didn’t know what it meant until maybe 2 or 3 years ago when my friend made the most magical steak for my husbands birthday and when we tasted it I couldn’t believe how good it was. I’m not even a steak person and I am pretty sure I finished the entire thing.
But back to sous vide. It essentially translates to “under vacuum” in french which sort of makes sense when you see the process of vacuuming out all the air of the bag that contains the food, however it is much more than that.
I would say that when you first see what a sous vide is you would honestly guess that it is pretty close to just boiling food. However, you set the sous vide in water and it helps maintain a perfect temperature of the water. From there you set the temperature to whatever you want the temperature of the meat to be. Then by placing the vacuum sealed meat in the water and letting it rest for a few hours up to overnight, the meat slowly becomes the same temperature without being overcooked.
The beauty in all of this is that you are able to get meats to a perfect temperature. You also can try it out with all sorts of vegetables, eggs, I’ve even seen people make yogurt in a sous vide. If you need more reasoning for why sous vide is the best way to cook food, here are my top reasons:
- Its the best for make-ahead foods. They don’t over cook and you can leave them for hours and not have to think twice about it.
- It is very low maintenance. I’ve noticed sometimes with crock pots, they have steps before you cook but with sous vide, you just seal, drop in the water and walk away. There is also a rick with crockpot you dry out your meats where sous vide wont allow meats to get to a higher temperature than the water it is sitting in.
- Sous vide is a safe way to cook. It is almost impossible to start a fire with one of these things and honestly if it even does, its sitting on top of a pot of water.
- It is healthier. Cooking from a vacuum pouch means that the natural juices and nutrients are retained through the cooking process.
- It can save you money. A sous vide can make a flank steak taste like the best filet mignon in the world. So why bother spending the extra cash?
- Fewer dirty dishes. I use re-usable bags so that was the only thing I had to wash after these ribs, otherwise, I just threw away the tin foil i finished them off on and everything was clean/
- Meal planning. You can cook your meals in advance and as long as you flash freeze or cool down immediately, you can store the food in the refrigerator up to 5 days before finishing off. With these ribs, once you’ve sous vide them for the 12-24 hours, remove from the water and let them sit in an ice bath for 10 minutes. Then you can place them in the fridge for up to 5 days before removing them and broiling them in the oven or grilling them.
- Impress your guests. Have you ever tried to make steak or something that take a lot of hands on time right before you serve and you end up missing out on the conversation with your guests or even worse get distracted? With sous vide, you can be cooking while you enjoy a glass of wine before dinner and not worry about overcooking the food.
I am going to try to finish off this post without saying sous vide 100 more times.
I know the last thing you need in your household is another cooking device that just sits on your shelf and takes up space, however I will argue that it is so worth the investment. I would even go as far as saying it is way more worth the money than a crockpot or instapot. I use this one from William Sonoma. I splurged on it when it was on sale a while back, however, at the end of the day, they all do the same thing so you can easily use one without all the bells and whistles. This one from amazon has great reviews and is a bit cheaper.
I also use a 12-qt food storage container to sous vide and place a lid over the top so that the water doesn’t evaporate and I love this new investment. With the container, I can fit a ton of different things in at the same time without over crowding. I used to use a 4 1/2 qt pot as well before the container so just know that is just as successful!
Also I should note, sous vide is not the only way to cook these ribs and get fall off the bone finger lickin’ good results. You can also use a crock pot or just bake in the oven both low and slow and both just as effective. For the alternative ways to cook here are the cook times:
- To cook in a crock pot. Remove the membrane on the back of the ribs, then season the ribs the same way listed in the recipe below, sprinkling all sides with the seasonings. Then place the ribs in a crockpot and pour the chili oil over the tops. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low. If you don’t have chili oil, just use 1 cup of beer or 1 cup of vegetable oil. Remove, then broil in the oven with your favorite barbecue or on the grill for 2 minutes both sides. Serve!
- For the oven. Remove the membrane from the ribs, then sprinkle all over with the spices. Place meat side down (so the thinner bonier back part faces up. Then cover with aluminum foil. Bake low and slow at 225 degrees F for 4-6 hours in the oven. Remove the foil and brush with barbeque, broil or grill for 2 minutes both sides. Serve!
Now back to these magical ribs.
I definitely had the 4th of July in mind when I made these and will definitely be making them again when we have guests over in a couple of short weeks. I will just prep ahead by sealing the ribs in the vacuumed bags, then drop them into water 24 hours before I want to serve them. Then I can just walk away and know that dinner is already taken care of! All I will have to do is finish them off on the grill right before eating. Seriously my favorite summer dinner and so easy to make!
If you are like me and have a few people staying over and want to double the recipe, I highly recommend getting a 12 qt container or using multiple crock pots so you don’t over crowd the ribs. It may seem like a hassle, but trust me, they will turn out perfect every time.
Sous Vide Chili Oil BBQ Ribs
Ingredients
If You Have Chili Oil
- 3 lbs baby back ribs (about 1 rack)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup chili oil (I use this one)
If You Don't Have Chili Oil
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
For The Broiling
- 1 cup Your favorite BBQ sauce, plus more for dipping (my favorite is always and will always be Sweet Baby Rays Original)
Instructions
- For all 3 ways of cooking. Remove the membrane from the ribs. Place the ribs on a cutting board and take a butter knife. Nestle it under the membrane to loosen the membrane off the bone. Then once loose, using a paper towel for grip, peel off the membrane and discard.
- For cooking with a sous vide. Preheat a pot of water filled with a sous vide immersion circulator to 155 degrees F. Sprinkle all sides of the ribs with brown sugar and salt. Then place in a vacuum bag and drizzle with the chili oil. Then seal shut. An alternative is to place the ribs in a sealable bag and dip them into a large bowl of water to remove the air then seal shut. Cook the ribs for 24 hours, making sure the bag remains completely submerged.
- For the crockpot. Preheat the crockpot on its lowest setting. Then sprinkle the ribs with the brown sugar and salt. Place in the crockpot and cover with chili oil. If you don’t have chili oil, you can sub beer or broth here. Cook ribs on low for 6-8 hours.
- For the oven low and slow. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Sprinkle the ribs with the brown sugar, salt and chili oil pressing down the make sure it adheres. Then on a tin foil lined baking sheet, place the ribs meat side down so that the bottom is facing up. There is a lot of debate on which way to cook the ribs in the oven. I believe this is the best way. Then cover with tin foil and place in the oven 4-6 hours.
- If you want to make these ahead with the sous vide, you can pause here before finishing them off, by immediately placing the vacuum sealed bag in an ice bath to cook down rapidly. Then storing the cooked ribs in the fridge up to 5 days before finishing them.
- To finish. Remove ribs from any of the 3 cooking methods. Place on a tin foil lined baking sheet and brush with your favorite BBQ sauce. Starting with the bottom, place on a grill on the highest temperature without closing the grill top and sear for 2 minutes each side. You can also put under a broiler for the same allotted time.
- Once the BBQ sauce is hot, sticky and bubbling. Place on a cutting board and slice the ribs. Some will probably just fall off the bone here. Make sure to capture that glory.
- Serve warm with a side of extra BBQ sauce for us sauce lovers!
Nutrition
