The temperatures are climbing and to me, that means heading outside to cook so I don’t heat up the house. I was all about burgers recently. I think I satisfied that craving and now I’m craving ribs. I noticed that the June issue of Hy-Vee’s Seasons magazine is all about ribs, so maybe that influenced me a little. I picked up some nice feather bones the last time I was in Hy-Vee and all that’s left to do is put some rub on them and decide what kind of sauce I want. I buy a variety of sauces and let everyone choose their favorite. That seems to be the best way to keep everyone in the family happy. I don’t have a smoker, so I use a small disposable aluminum pan for my wood chips and place it near the back of my grill and cook the ribs at 225 degrees.  

This is the recipe for the rub I use: 

1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar  

1 Tbsp. chili powder  

1 Tbsp. coarse-ground black pepper  

2 tsp. garlic powder  

2 tsp. onion powder  

1½ tsp. ground cumin  

1 tsp. ground dry mustard  

½ tsp. cayenne pepper  

Rub 2 Tbsp. kosher salt on ribs. Wrap ribs tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.  

Unwrap ribs, pat dry with a paper towel. Rub seasoning all over ribs to coat well.