Kick Off Grilling Season With Balsamic Glazed Baby Back Ribs

Nothing can fulfill the defining barbecue trifecta of smoky, sweet, and tangy quite like ribs. Which is why I think they're a must-have on any menu for the second biggest cookout day of the year—Memorial Day. Last summer I worked on perfecting the standardsweet and sticky rib, but now I have something new that captures everything you'd want in a rib with a bit of a twist in thesebalsamic-glazed baby back ribs.

A rub that features a trio of peppercorns—white, black, and Szechuan—coats racks of baby backs, which are then cooked low and slow over cherry wood, in either asmokerorgrill. A brushing of balsamic barbecue sauce in the last half hour leaves the ribs with a glistening sheen.

They maylooklike everyday ribs, but the balsamic makes a pronounced difference, thanks to a distinctive acidity that melds well with the sugars and peppers in the rub. Combine this with the tender and smoky meat, and you have everything you could wish for in backyard barbecue, making them a great way to kick-off of this grilling season.

Get The Recipes:

• Balsamic Glazed Baby Back Ribs
• Balsamic Barbecue Sauce