Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs with Balsamic Honey Barbecue Sauce

5 from 2 votes

Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs with Balsamic Honey Barbecue Sauce

Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs are nothing short of amazing. The ultra slow cooking from the Sous Vide process produces unbelievably moist and tender ribs that melt in your mouth. The ribs are finished off over hot coals with a basting of Balsamic Honey Barbecue Sauce.

Prep Time15

Cook Time12 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: 4th of July, American

Servings: servings

Calories: 685kcal

Equipment

Immersion Circulator
Container for Water Bath

Ingredients

Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs

2 racks Baby Back Ribs, about 2 pounds each
3 Tablespoons paprika (See Tip 1)
3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Kosher salt (See Tip 2)
1 ½ Tablespoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
¾ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Balsamic Honey Barbecue Sauce (recipe below), or barbecue sauce of your choice

Balsamic Honey Barbecue Sauce

1 cup (8 ounces) balsamic vinegar
¾ cup (7 ounces) Chili sauce
½ cup (6 ounces) honey
⅓ cup (2.5 ounces) light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Sous Vide Baby Back Ribs

Fill Sous Vide container with water; set immersion circulator to 165° F.
Rinse and pat ribs dry. Cut each rack into 3 pieces, 4 to 5 ribs per piece. Remove membrane from back of ribs. Set aside. (See Tip 3)
Dry Rub: Combine paprika, brown sugar, salt, garlic powder, dry mustard, onion powder, oregano, thyme and pepper in a small bowl.
Sprinkle Dry Rub on both sides of ribs; rub in with hand so that it adheres to the ribs. Vacuum seal each of the 6 pieces of ribs. (See Tip 4)
Place the vacuum sealed ribs in Sous Vide water bath set to 165° F. Cook for 12 hours. (See Tip 5)
After 12 hours, remove ribs from water bath. Can be made in advance up to this point and refrigerated for several days.
Remove ribs from vacuum sealed bags; rinse well and pat dry. (See Tip 6)
Grill, basting with Balsamic Honey Sauce or barbecue sauce of your choice over hot coals for 10 to 15 minutes, basting and turning frequently.
Yield: 6 servings

Balsamic Honey Barbecue Sauce

Whisk together balsamic vinegar, Chili sauce, honey, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and is reduced by about ⅓. Yield: 2 cups.

Notes

You can use either smoked paprika or regular paprika with no real difference in the taste of the ribs.
If you use regular table salt, reduce the amount to 1 ½ tablespoons.
To remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs, use a small knife to loosen one corner. Grab the loosened corner with a piece of paper towel and carefully peel the membrane away from the ribs.
Before placing the rib in the vacuum sealed bag, fold down the top 2 or more inches. The reason for doing this is that otherwise some of the rub could end up on the inside of the bag where the seal is made. If this happens, the bag may not seal properly.
To minimize the amount of water evaporation, cover the Sous Vide container with a top or aluminum foil. If the water level goes down during cooking add more water. If any of the ribs float to the top, weigh them down with a heavy object. I generally use a small rectangular Pyrex dish as a weight.
There are several reasons for rinsing the ribs when they come out of the vacuum sealed bag. First, they are likely to be too salty from the dry rub. Second, there's a fair amount of "gunk" covering the ribs from the combination of the dry rub and the fat that is released from the cooking. Third, in order to get the crispy exterior from grilling, the ribs need to be dry.

Nutrition