Bold, spicy-sweet glazed pork back ribs

These baby back pork ribs turned out exactly as I hoped. The meat was fork-tender and falling off the bone, the sauce bold, sticky and sweet, but with enough kick to set your lips a-tingling. I made two full racks but there was enough sauce for three. However, It's rich enough that just a couple of ribs will fill you up - we had plenty of leftovers.  Make sure you plan this recipe well ahead of time to account for the double-cooking. 

To make rub: 

Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup hot Hungarian paprika, and 1 T each of chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and cracked pepper. Rub ribs with the mixture, the bake on a roasting rack for 8-9 hours (overnight) at 200F. Cool and cut between bones into individual ribs.

To make sauce:

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 2 1/2 cups ketchup,  1 1/2 cups honey, 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 cup Coca-Cola, 4 T dark soy sauce, 4 tsp Dijon mustard and 2 tsp Worcester sauce. Bring to boil, stirring often. Continue boiling for 20 minutes, stirring often. Add rib pieces to sauce and toss well to combine.

Place ribs on baking sheet meaty side up, leaning ribs against each other as necessary to hold upright, reserving any extra sauce. Bake at 425F for about 20 minutes, brushing halfway with reserved sauce. 

Rub recipe from here

Sauce recipe adapted from here

 {Rub mixture}

{Raw ribs with rub}

{Sauce being reduced}

{Rubbed ribs, after cooking overnight}

 {With sauce, ready to go back in oven}