I decided to do something a little different on today’s episode. This recipe centers around our newest rub, my Cajun Creole Garlic Butter Rub. I’m using Baby Back Ribs and my new rub to create a Memphis-style dry rub rib that’s gonna knock your socks off. Plus, it’s a simple recipe that doesn’t require tons of time or effort.
Making Cajun Creole Garlic Butter Ribs
I find some of my favorite foods by experimenting with fresh takes of old favorites. Ribs are one of my family’s staple meals. I love cooking them, and we all love eating them. I decided to use my new rub to grill up a Cajun-inspired take on baby back ribs. With a little flavoring and grilling them low and slow, I’m expecting this recipe to be tender and flavorful. If you love ribs, you’ll love these. Let’s get started!
The Ingredients
- Baby Back Ribs. These are high-quality ribs that always cook up nice.
- Water. A few sprays make my binder for this recipe.
- Heath Riles BBQ Everyday Rub. This rub is for purists who believe in the power of good ole salt and pepper. It has a few more spices in it to bring out the flavor in any dish.
- Heath Riles BBQ Cajun Creole Garlic Butter Rub.
- Apple juice. The butter bath needs a little extra sweetness and taste, and this juice adds it perfectly.
- Heath Riles BBQ Butter Bath & Wrap. Everybody enjoys fall-off-the-bone tender ribs, which is what this bath gives you.
The Equipment Setup
I fired my Traeger Timberline 1300 Grill up to 300 degrees F using Royal Oak 100% Charcoal Hardwood Pellets.
The Process for Making My Cajun Creole Garlic Butter Ribs
You can follow along with me in every step of this recipe by watching the video on my Youtube channel.
- Preheat the grill. I got my charcoal set up and turned my Traeger up to heat to 300 degrees F.
- Prep the baby back ribs. I unpackaged the ribs and laid them out on a pan. The first step is taking off the membrane by slipping on some gloves and just pulling it with my fingers. I find this to be the easiest way to remove it, but you can also use a paper towel to peel it off.
- Add the binder. Normally I use duck fat spray or olive oil as a binder, but today I’m using water. I sprayed a few squirts of water on each rib, just enough for them to be a little moist.
- Sprinkle on the seasonings. My Everyday Rub was up first. This has won me some prize money, ya’ll, and I know it’s going to add tons of flavor to these ribs. I used this as a generous base coat on both sides of the ribs. Then I came back with my Cajun Creole Garlic Butter Rub to add a good, unique, Cajun flavor to the ribs. I worked on this rub a long time to make sure I got the flavor exactly like I wanted it, which was to capture the true Cajun taste. After giving them a solid coat of rub, I let them set and sweat in for about 5 minutes.
- Put them on the grill. Once my ribs had sweat and my grill was heated up, I placed the racks directly on the grill grate and let them cook for about 2 hours.
- Remove and give the ribs a butter bath. After 2 hours I opened the lid and did the smear test. My ribs were bubbling and the spices were sticking nicely to the surface, so I used metal tongs to pull them off the grill onto a double foil-lined pan. Mixing up my Butter Bath & Wrap with some apple juice in a shaker bottle, I poured half the bottle on the back of the first slab and wrapped the foil around it, starting with the long side. Then I poured the other half on the second slab and wrapped it the same way.
- Grill them some more. Placing the foil-wrapped, butter-bath-soaked ribs back on the grill, I closed the lid and let them cook between an hour and an hour and a half. Once they reached an internal temperature of about 205 degrees F (I used my Thermapen MK4 right next to the center bone to gauge the temp), I pulled them back off the grill.
- One final seasoning. When I unwrapped these ribs, I knew they were going to be amazing. The color and the way they jiggled when they moved, plus the tempting aroma, had all the makings of a mouthwatering rib. I sprinkled another helping of my Cajun Creole Garlic Butter Rub over both sides of them to soak up some of the butter bath and give them a good Cajun kick. Removing them from the foil, I placed them on the grill for a third time to dry out for 15-20 minutes.
- Let them rest. I pulled the ribs off the grill and let them rest on the cutting board for about 15 minutes.
- Slice and devour. These ribs dried up so well I could hardly wait to cut into them. The seasoning made a beautiful texture, letting me know they were going to be filled with flavor. They were so tender I didn’t even have to use a knife. I just pulled them apart with my hands.
The Results
If you like Cajun flavor, you’re going to love these ribs. Wow, they took my breath away. They were so tender and flavorful. The exterior seasonings gave them an incredible Cajun bite but with a little sweetness and savoriness from the butter bath. And the Traeger sure did its job with the smoky flavor that set the whole taste off.
Serving Suggestions for Cajun Creole Garlic Butter Ribs
Generally I’d plan on at least half a rack per person. Big boys (not mentioning any names) would probably want a whole rack to fill themselves up.
Storing Them
Once the ribs cool down you can slice them up and store them in a ziplock bag or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can easily heat them in the oven on a foil-lined pan at a low temp.
Equipment and Tools
Traeger Timberline 1300 , Royal Oak 100% Charcoal Hardwood Pellets , Thermapen Mk4 , Stone + Wood Cutting Boards , Heath Riles Shaker Bottle, Black Gloves , YETI Rambler 30oz Tumbler, Clear Spray Bottle , Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil , Metal tongs, Metal pan
