What have we been up to, you ask?
Photo Credit: Instagram – @dallasclayton
(This post may contain affiliate links)
A little bit of this
Watching backyard bunnies with a kitty cat. Eating snap peas from the vine. Drinking straight from the garden hose. Feeling the mud squish between my toes. Hummingbird sleuthing. Backyard sitting with the puppies under the moonlight. Eating sweet potatoes, kale, and lots of tomato soup.
Tearing up with a stranger while buying wildflowers at the Farmer's Market. “Could I pet your dog?”
“Of course, his name is Harry.”
“We lost our golden just a month ago” Her voice broke. She dug in her bag for a tissue “He was 14. My heart is broken.”
“You have no idea how much I understand. What was his name? Do you have a favorite story? Can I give you a hug?”
A little bit of nothing, and a little bit of everything
— —
Our days have mostly been slow, and I've been fighting back my urge to over commit to all things shiny. When I look at the calendar, it tells the story of both fullness and emptiness. What have we been up to? What are we making of these summer months?
What do we have to show for it all?
A little bit of nothing, and a little bit of everything
My husband has taken a few business trips. I've gone to yoga, the pool, for bike rides through campus. We've been invited to backyard BBQs, hosted dinner parties. I visited my grandson, and he visited me
I've been weeding and watering the garden while praying for rain. (ps: Any good recommendations? I'm in the market for a big floppy hat). Long drives to nowhere with the windows down and the wind in our hair (and fur). I think I remember getting a massage somewhere in there, but that could've been in the spring?
And yet, it has been one of the sweetest summers
We've been doing a lot, together
— —
Our little neighborhood is filled mostly with grandparents or couples without kids. The one exception? Our next-door neighbors who have five children (under the age of 10!)
On warm sunny days, I listen as they collect battle scars on the trampoline, dig for worms, race skateboards along the sidewalk, and are called in for a midday pb + j
The sounds of summer
Video Credit: Youtube.com – EightiesBabyInc
One of my favorites
It's just life at home, a family trying (mostly) to get along. It's slow, and it's sweet, and it's so many of the things I remember my own childhood to be.
Riding my bike along the dirt road to a friend's house, country church potlucks, a summer cottage by the lake, burgers on the grill, my father churning homemade ice cream (by hand). Dates with my grandpa, root beer floats at the drive-up A&W. The sun on my shoulders, '70s rainbow shirts, a good book in my lap.
Everyone was so busy it seemed, doing nothing at all
Summer
— —
That's what life feels like lately.
Days spent being kind to and loving each other; learning to find contentment in our own smaller and quieter existence. Forgetting to buy dog food, burning the eggs
Life feels happy and so very good
I tend to measure life in events. The family vacation, a big celebration, well-documented days. But that’s not how I want to remember this summer. Instead, I want to remember how it felt
That it felt happy and good
The slow whirl of a film strip spinning to a gritty Joe Cocker; the smell of charcoal in the air
And maybe Norma Arnold’s (always) awesome outfits
So happy; so tired
Getting by with a little help from our friends
Summer simply wouldn't be summer without meals hot off the grill, and lately, my husband has been cooking up a storm. There's truly nothing better than a perfectly-cooked, fall-off-the-bone-tender rack of ribs
We're only a few hours from Kansas City, and every time we go, a stop (or two) for BBQ is at the top of our list. Their style has always meant hickory-smoked meat covered in a thick tomato/molasses sauce (and lots of sauce at that)
In this version, the rub (similar to the sauce), tips the scale in the direction of sweet, but also includes enough spice from the chili powder and pepper for balance. Once the rub is applied, and they're on the grill, all that's left is to grab a drink and wait until they're tender.
If you're feeling overly ambitious while you're waiting? Maybe make some fruit spritzers, tangy mustard potato, or zucchini and herb pasta salad. How about some cornbread? A few quick pickles? Ginger cookies with apricot + chocolate? Or even a frozen lemony terrine with blueberries and mango?
There's really no bad way to have ribs for dinner or even a summer party. The only regret you'll have is if you don't because it seems like to much work. It's not (we promise)
A few notes about the recipe
If ribs are the main part of your meal, a good rule of thumb is a slab will feed two to three people.
If you need to cook more ribs in a small space, use either a rib rack or roll the slabs into coils and secure the coils with a long skewer
Every once in a while you'll want to brush on a thin layer of the sauce. It only caramelizes slightly and will give you the thick, sticky layer of sauce that this style of ribs is known for
Below, I've also included a version of the recipe for those preferring not to smoke the ribs. Instead, they're baked and finished for only a few minutes on the grill.
Enjoy!
xoxo
~ Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, Sixteenth Edition
Kansas City-Style BBQ Ribs - Grilled / Smoked
Ingredients
- 4 - 5 pounds beef back ribs
- 2 cups hickory chips
- Rub
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp celery salt
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, more or less, depending on your tolerance for heat
- Sauce
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup ketchup
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Prep the Wood Chips
- At least an hour before grilling, soak the wood chips in enough water to cover them
- Drain before using
- Prep the Ribs
- Remove the membrane covering the bones by slipping a dull knife under it.
- Then, using a paper towel to grip, pull the membrane away from the bones
- Trim the fat from ribs and place them in a shallow roasting pan
- Make the Rub
- In a small bowl combine all of the rub's ingredients
- Sprinkle about half of the rub over the top of the meat and rub it in with your fingers to form an even coating.
- Turn the ribs over and repeat the process
- Cover the pan with foil and chill until you're ready to grill
- Make the Sauce
- While the ribs are cooking, make the sauce
- In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the butter
- Add the onion, and cook for ~ 5 minutes, or until it's just starting to become tender
- Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so more
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring the sauce to a very slow boil
- Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer 20 - 25 minutes
- Grill the Ribs
- Prep the grill for indirect heat using a drip pan
- Add the wood chips
- Place the ribs, bone side down, over the drip pan
- Grill covered, over indirect medium heat for 1 ½ - 1 ¾ hours, or until the ribs are tender
- Brush them with some of the sauce during the last 30 minutes
- Serve
- Serve ribs with remaining sauce.
— —
Kansas City-Style BBQ Ribs - Baked and Finished on the Grill
Ingredients
- 4 - 5 pounds beef back ribs
- 2 cups hickory chips
- Rub
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp celery salt
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper more or less, depending on your tolerance for heat
- Sauce
- 1 medium onion chopped fine
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 deg F
- Prep the Ribs
- Remove the membrane covering the bones by slipping a dull knife under it.
- Then, using a paper towel to grip, pull the membrane away from the bones
- Trim the fat from ribs and place them in a shallow roasting pan
- Make the Rub
- In a small bowl combine all of the rub's ingredients
- Sprinkle about half of the rub over the top of the meat and rub it in with your fingers to form an even coating.
- Turn the ribs over and repeat the process
- Cover the pan with foil
- Bake the Ribs
- Bake the ribs for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, or until they’re very tender.
- Carefully drain the fat from the roasting pan
- Prep the Wood Chips
- While the ribs are baking, soak the wood chips
- At least an hour before grilling, soak the wood chips in enough water to cover them.
- Drain before using
- Make the Sauce
- While the ribs are cooking, make the sauce
- In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the butter
- Add the onion, and cook for ~ 5 minutes, or until it's just starting to become tender
- Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so more
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring the sauce to a very slow boil
- Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to simmer 20 - 25 minutes
- Grill the Ribs
- (If using a charcoal grill)
- Sprinkle the wood chips over medium coals and place the ribs on the rack directly above
- Grill, covered, for ~ 10 minutes, or until the ribs have browned, turning once and brushing occasionally with sauce
- (If using a gas grill)
- Preheat grill to medium.
- Add the wood chips according to the manufacturer's directions.
- Place the ribs on grill rack.
- Grill as directed above
- Serve
- Serve ribs with remaining sauce.
84 Comments
Summer certainly sounds perfect for you, I love the smells of BBQ’s and the noise of children playing happily, everyone seems much happier when the sun is out. These ribs sound amazing I would have to do the grill method x
We haven’t been up to much with this heat wave we’ve been having. A bbq would be great if the weather permits. Oh! I did get a nice straw hat from IKEA (weird as I am).
That sounds like the perfect summer so far and it;s only the beginning. Anything with a pool and some yoga has my vote for the perfect summer. Continue the happiness and positivity and I hope you have a great summer.
5 children under 10! I bet they’re noisy! Lol. I’m feeling the same, I feel like I’ve been doing a little bit of everything and a little bit of nothing. I’m sat here now dreaming of food of the grill, you’re right, nothing beats that! I’m glad it’s cooled down now here in the UK, we’ve had 4 days of rain this week, but I prefer that to the heat! I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and have lots more delicious food from the grill.
Summer and barbecues just go hand in hand. My son asks for ribs all year round. He gets so excited when the 4th of July BBQ has them, makes his whole summer.
There is something wonderful about having a BBQ in summer isn’t there. I adore the different flavour it gives to a meal.
After googling summer recipes, I came upon your post. This is just what I needed; thank you for writing such a detailed recipe . Summertime is my favorite time of year because our family loves to barbecue . Ribs are a personal favorite and since I have allergies I can only make them at home and can’t get them at restaurants .
The story about meeting a stranger at the market is just <3, thank you for being there for her when she needed it and letting her find some comfort in you and your boy.
There’s so many good memories I have from when I was a kid. Riding bikes with my friends, swimming also a long and grilling food. I love to barbecue and ribs are probably the very top of that list.
mm… that recipe is ALL summer.
We haven’t been to the farmers market yet, but summer vacation just started for us on Tuesday! This is only day three and it’s all of the wonderful summer things. It’s my favorite season, although fall is pretty amazing where I live.
I like them basically for the taste and proteins but I really like that you have put sugar in the recipe. A lot of people tend to measure their success or what happens through events and we often forget the feelings we had at the time which actually matter much more in perspective. I like that you wrote some reflections before showing the recipe. I’ll certainly try adding sugar to the BBQ next time.
I LOVE ribs! I haven’t had them ages so I need to make these. Yum. We need to start grilling more often now that it’s summer.
And I also love The Wonder Years. What an awesome show.
Sounds like you have had an awesome summer so far! Mine has been quite lazy. In fact, we haven’t done much of anything!
I love summer and I too live in a similar area, couples my age, no kids, or elderly with the odd family of 10! For me the sounds and smells of summer always include BBQ’s, the innocence of children playing and dogs running with their ears blowing in the wind!
I must admit that I am not a fan of Kansas City barbecue. I prefer vinegar-based sauces like those down South.
I believe that a slower way of life is indeed fulfilling and its that heady mix of a bit of nothing and a bit of everything that makes life so good. I like yoga, it is a great form of meditation although I have not done it in a while. I like the sound of these bbq ribs, perfect for my rib mad friend x
Ahh sounds like everything that summer should be. Although it is technically summer here in the UK, it doesn’t feel like it yet!! I love ribs, they are my favourite thing to have with barbecue sauce – yum!
My husband was just asking for ribs. I will have to make these for him for the 4th
I never had ribs before. I feel like I am missing out. BBQ cuisine goes with summer. They don’t exist without one another. TOo bad I am just by myself and can’t do so much food. but great recipe that i’ll send to my dad! he’ll love it! xx corinne
My stomach is grumbling just looking at these beautiful photos. These remind me of the kind my uncle used to make when I was growing up. His sauce always had molasses in it and when he handed you your plate, along came about 20 napkins.
My mouth literally watered looking at these pictures! I was just saying to my husband yesterday that we should have ribs for the 4th of July. I’ll be using this recipe! I love that you seperated the sauce recipe from the others, it makes it very easy to follow.
Summer and BBQ are two of my favorite words. When you put them together it creates a great way for the family to connect… hopefully making memories that will last a lifetime. I love how you’ve showcased that!
Lovely to read your post, and how you pass the days. Very touching. Summer is a lovely time for spending time together.
That cat is my spirit animal. I will be laying in the sun this weekend too !! The BBQ ribs also look epic 🙂
I love the summertime. time for family get togethers and firing up the grill.
Your writing really does stir the emotions. That bit about the lady wanting to pet your dog really got me! Lovely photos too & I used to love the Wonder Years. This recipe sounds delicious but I am a vegetarian but have made a note of the spices for the rub (minus the garlic salt as I don’t like it) and the sauce I will make (minus the Worcestershire sauce as it isn’t vegetarian). Another fab recipe.
Erm…my mouth is watering here – these bbq ribs look lush and so tasty – Love bbqs getting friends together and having a giggle with great food too of course 🙂 x
This is the perfect summer meal. Throw in some grilled corn on the cob and a salad and you’ve got everything you need for an awesome feast.
It seems like summer has flown by for us this year. We have had a lot of backyard barbecues filled with tasty things like these ribs!
You can never go wrong with ribs, these look super juicy. I think the sauce is definitely most important its adds all the flavor.
I love this time of the year. Great time to enjoy great food and lot of gatherings of family and friends. My husband would love if Imade these ribs. I am showing him thsi recipe. Time to get grilling!
Wow these ribs look amazing! I’ve never made ribs with a rub, I usually marinate them in a marinade so will try this out for the next barbecue!
Summer was always riding my bike to friends’ houses, visits to our vacation home in Vermont, playing cards with friends to all hours of the night…such great childhood memories. Now that I am a teacher, I think I LOVE summer even more than when I was a child….and the grill is key.
We’ve been grilling a lot this summer with the Texas heat. I love how BBQ is different in each area. Texas barbecue is different but I love sauces from other regions. BTW I used to love the Wonder Years.
Summer is about family and BBQ’s. My wife and I have been hosting in our backyard more than usual this summer and they’ve made for some memorable evening. Good food brings us all together. Can’t wait to give the ribs a try. KC style are my favorite!
Summer came in quickly here in Ohio and now it’s a bit cooler. Summer has always been my favorite season. My heart broke about the golden too, my last pooch. But really, this BBQ look so good! lol
Looks so yummy! I can never perfect the sauce and the ribs when I try it. I might look and practice more using this recipe.
I am a child of the 80’s (born in the late 70’s) and The Wonder Years was a show I did not appreciate as a kid and seeing the intro makes me sad. I need to sit and watch some episodes with my kids. And, I am your neighbor… except we have 6 kids still at home. All boys. Ranging from 16 to almost 1 year. Sometimes I feel like the crazy screaming mom…. and I see the retired couple down the street and have a tiny bit of envy.
I absolutely adore ribs but I never make them myself so I definitely want to use your recipe ASAP!
I live in the tropics and it’s like summer most of the time. My kids love barbecued meat, so we do this often. The ribs look yummy and so tender. I can’t wait to try your recipe.
I love a long drive to nowhere, anytime my week includes that, I am doing alright. We actually refer to it as living the dream and that is exactly why we chose to move to Iowa. IT allows that kind of thing more often and faster than the cities I have grew up in throughout my life so it’s nice to have that week where not much is going on and you get to hit a farmers market and see a few cows along the way. Living the dream!
AMEN to a little nothing and a little everything. I simply LIVE for the summertime in all of its laid back glory. I haven’t scheduled a single thing for my kids this summer on purpose! I want to just…be. Your summer days sound a like mine. Aren’t they truly the best? In the words of John Mayer, “A little bit of summer is what the whole year’s all about”. Enjoy your season.
I am always looking forward to the summer BBQ. Not sure, if it’s the holiday mood or just the smell of the BBQ that bring me such a delicious memory of family gathering. This recipe definitely is going to be our ‘have to try’ bbq party food.
Oh my goodness! My mouth is watering just looking at those gorgeous ribs. I stopped right in my tracks and pinned your recipe to Pinterest. It’s one I’d love to make for a summer dinner party with friends. Life is so full of sweetness, just little things along our path. We just need to take the time to revel in the beauty of it.
The ribs look delicious. I want to make this for my July 4th BBQ. Thanks for sharing.
XOXO //
Well J the summer seems all fun to you. I love grilling in the BBQ pit in my backyard. BBQ’s grilled food is just amazing. Till now I was searching for some good BBQ recipe. And you gave this to me. Will be trying this weekend. Thanks!
As a meat eater this looks like my idea of heaven! Yay for summer being here! 😀
I think it’s good to have a nice combination of being busy but also having time to relax. The BBQ style ribs sound so good x
oh wow yes please anyone who knows me knows i love my meat on a bone ,im sure i was a cave woman in my past life , i love the messy eating and this sounds like it has amazing taste too
A summer busy doing nothing sounds perfect to me. I used to love watching The Wonder Years when I was younger, seeing that video was a real blast from the past!
The bbq’s are what is the most fun in the summer with the family. We go to a near by park where they have a playground for the kids to play and they have built in grills. It is a lot of fun for the whole family when we have our family picnics there. I remember going to the A&W drive thru with my grandfather during the summer for the root beer floats. Thanks for sharing your summer memories and the recipe.
Ribs are seriously one of our favorites when it comes to bbq get togethers. I am going to have to give this a shot and see if I can please my crowd!
I love summer, it’s my favorite season! Spending time outside, having fun out and about or simply relaxing with my boyfriend and our dogs in the garden… That’s life! Hope you will enjoy this season a lot!
The way you describe your summers makes me very nostalgic. Summers are hectic for us right now – four boys under 10 and we are always on the go – to playdates, camp, swim and what have you. But I remember slow, lazy summers, eating beans straight from the garden and digging in the dirt around the pool to find dozens of worms. My mom and Aunt would scream and tell us to put them back when we would proudly carry handfuls over and dump them on the patio table. I miss summers like that. Maybe this is a reminder to slow down and schedule a little less so that we can enjoy the free time!
First of all, I loved the Wonder Years growing up. Summer just isn’t summer with a slab or ribs on the grill. A cookout is a pre-requisite for summer. These ribs look delicious and I’m hungry.
You do always do the most amazing recipes. But this definitely makes me think about all of the positive reminiscences of summer. And now I am trying to do things with my daughter so I can create more of those positive memories. I am really sorry to hear about losing your dog. I was just talking to someone last night about beautiful dogs that I have had and how hard it was to lose them. BBQ during summer is essential. I am so looking forward to the 4th because it’s one of my favorite holidays, it has BBQs and it’s all about summer and memories.
These genuinely sound SO yum! BBQ ribs are so moreish in my eyes – I can’t get enough of them! I love the sound of adding in those sweet components like molasses and brown sugar – sweet and sticky ribs are my favourites. xx
BBQing is one of the many things about summer. I love the fact that you included all of the steps of everything including making the rub.
Life is good during the summer. Days seem to slow down but also go by so fast. It’s tough to keep up but you know that you’re also aware of everything that’s happening. These ribs are perfect, I love that thick sauce that it develops while you cook it.
Our neighborhood is filled with lots of kiddos and their unneighborly parents. While we don’t do much with our neighbors, we do have cookouts with family and friends. BBQ ribs happen to be one of our favorite meats to grill on the deck.
Wow! The most loving description of spending beautiful moments with loved ones! Those 5 kids of your neighbors would be the soul in your living area! Also, This meal really looks delicious.
I am also trying to enjoy summer, have those glorious slow and lazy days happen when I can. With three kids our life gets hectic and busy so fast. On another note, those ribs are making my mouth water! We love to grill out in summer and almost always eat dinner outside on our back patio. Usually the temperatures have cooled off in the evening and we can enjoy outside.
I could eat a plate of these right now. We had a conversation about ribs at work today as a few of us keep going to the same tapas place but not at the same time and we were discussing if their ribs are too saucey! These look perfect nicely marinated but not to goopy
Summertime ! My twins love ribs! I cant wait for our barbecue tims and I will try your recipe ! Thanks for all the detailed steps!
Summer is here, finally. It is the time for family get togethers and weekend BBQ parties. We love to through in the grill what ever we have on hand – shrimps, burgers! The only thing I do not like about summer is the mosquitos! My fvorite season is still Autumn.
We’re planning on doing a BBQ this weekend so I’m glad I stumbled upon this post. My parents and family loves pork ribs and this looks insanely delicious. I’m going to make this since your recipes always get a thumbs up!
Summer is one of my two least favorite seasons. What I enjoy most about it is spending a little down time with my youngest. The grill is great for not heating up the house, which is where I generally hide if it’s humid or really hot.Try wrapping the ribs in bacon, it’s yummy!
We recently lost our family dog. It was really hard on everyone but on my grandparents the most. Glad us dog people have each other. Those ribs looks so good. Wish I could cook HA
Ribs are my favourite meaty food so saucy! I loved summer as a kid just binge watching old tv shows – I’ve never seen The Wonder Years, but I loved Twin Peaks
I really understand what you mean about wanting to remember how summer feels, small things like sounds and smells 🙂 your ribs look amazing and perfect for a bbq!
Summer and BBQs are just my favorite combo, especially if includes friends, grilled meat (your ribs look fantastic!) and drinks!
These pictures are just mouth watering. My husband just loves ribs anyway he can get them. I usually make them in the crockpot and then he grills them for a few minutes.
we are huge fan of BBQ. Decided to do BBQ during the heat wave but it rained so brought the grill indoor. After fifteen minutes nothing was visible in my home 😀 It was smoke everywhere. I couldn’t see my BBQ and almost burned chops. Sure my summer will be remembered for long time..hahaha
Loved your recipe. I will definitely try it soon
Whenever I spend summer at my Mom’s place, she always make sure she will feed us like we are malnourished kids. And she also served something like this meal. It was a good summer, and after that i need to push harder to maintain my weight 🙂
OMG! It’s already 11 pm and saw this. I want to go out and find some ribs.
You have a lot of great memories of summer time! I remember summer as a kid; we were blessed to be able to travel and see the US and different places. I remember camping and the BBQ’s having ribs and potato salad… Your recipes and pictures brought back fond memories! Like always, you have some of the best recipes!!
There has been times of late when I feel like I have so much to do or done so much and yet at the same time I feel like I have not accomplished anything.
I feel like summer has just been flying by lately. But I have to say these ribs look amazing! x
Summer and BBQ go hand in hand. I loved reading about your father hand churning homemade ice cream, in the summer my grandma and grandpa made the best homemade ice cream!
I’m having a leisurely summer with rides to the countryside and photography escapades on the Hudson River. I love your ribs even though I don’t eat meat. They look so good!
This is brilliant! your style of writing has a kind of charm to it, so much so that I was hooked and found myself reading faster to find out what happens! It’s an emotionally charged piece – at least for me. I had a tear in my eye when you mentioned the lost golden – it brought back memories of when we lost our two. they were happy memories so thank you for brining them back to me! I really do love you blog!
My wife and are from the Midwest, and were raised on saucy KC-style ribs. I have such great memories of summer BBQs in my parent’s backyard with my dad in charge of the grill. Can’t wait to surprise my wife with these, everything about them feels just like home
Great recipe! My father will be in heaven, ribs are his favorite. My mom just bought him a fancy new smoker and he’s been looking for great recipes to try.
This sounds like a great summer indeed. What I look forward to in this season is the relaxing days at the pool or beach as well as delicious BBQ type of foods just off of the grill.