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I love a good tailgating party. There’s just nothing like getting together with friends and enjoying good food before the big game each weekend! It doesn’t even matter which sport you support, because when you live in Kansas City, you have big dreams for post-season in baseball and soccer, just as the football season is hitting it’s stride, too. You know what Kansas Citians also love? Barbecue. Delicious, sweet, tangy barbecue. That means things like pulled pork and ribs are totally a staple in our area. I’ve shared my pulled pork recipe recently, but today, it is all about the ribs.

To make the perfect ribs, head to Walmart to stock up on everything you need– a slab or two of ribs, some mustard, brown sugar, your favorite spice for meat, your favorite sweet barbecue sauce, and of course, Viva® Vantage® Big Roll Paper Towels.

To start your delicious rib dinner, you’ll want to take thawed pork ribs and drizzle them generously with mustard. Then, lightly add sriracha for a kick. There’s no real set amount for each ingredient, as the size and weight of your ribs will vary, but recognize that you want the pork to be generously coated in mustard and lightly dotted with sriracha, as much of this sauce will break down the meat and cook off.

Sprinkle the meat with your favorite grilling blend of seasoning, covering it as pictured above, then rub in brown sugar. I used about a cup of brown sugar for one slab, but you’ll want to use more or less depending on the size of your ribs. You’ll want this really rubbed onto the meat, not just sprinkled on. Turn the ribs over and repeat on the other side, making sure the entire slab is generously coated. Wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2, but up to 24 hours. This allows plenty of time for the marinade and rub to really break down the meat fibers, but also gives the meat delicious flavor with a sweet beginning and a kicking, tangy finish.

If you’re looking for something less sweet’n’tangy, you can always marinate your ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce. I like a good sweet or honey barbecue, but go with whatever suits your taste. Again, for this, coat both sides of the ribs, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 but no more than 24 hours.

When you’re ready to cook, foil line a pan, then place an oven-safe cooling rack on top of it. This will allow the drippings to fall off and allow the heat to reach every bit of the ribs, giving you an even cook in the oven.

Place your ribs on the rack on the pan, making sure to brush on any rub or marinade that happened to stick to the plastic wrap. Place your oven rack as low as possible, then place the ribs in the oven on your high broil setting for 5 minutes.

Once the ribs are done broiling, remove them, raise the rack to the middle of the oven, and place the ribs back in at 300 for 2 and 1/2 hours.

Remove the ribs at this time, brush both sides with sweet barbecue sauce (yes, for both varieties of ribs– the sweet’n’tangy and the simple barbecue!), and cover them with foil. Bake them for another 30 minutes, then remove. Check for doneness by making sure they are cooked to a temperature of 180-190 by checking multiple places of the meatiest part of the ribs with a meat thermometer, and by cutting between the meatiest part to ensure the color is no longer pink.

I’m telling you, these ribs are perfect for a tailgating party, because they really do have that perfect gametime spirit. They’ll get everyone nice and full before or during the game, regardless which sport you’re watching or which team you’re cheering for.

Of course ribs, like all good barbecue, can be a total mess to eat. I mean, really, what is a tailgate party without some serious cleanup after? There’s always spilled drinks, barbecue dripping down faces, fingers, and plates, and sticky messes.

It’s worth it, though. I mean, can you imagine how lame ribs would be if you didn’t get a little messy while you enjoyed them? I’ve always thought that if my tailgate party guests don’t have a messy face and fingers after the food is served, it just wasn’t quite good enough. Good food practically requires a good cleanup, which it what Viva® Vantage® paper towels are there for!

Seriously– Viva® Vantage® paper towels are the best because they’re soft enough to wipe your face with, but strong enough to really clean up a tough, sticky mess… kind of like using cloth, but without the hassle of washing afterwards. Even when you get it wet with soda, sauce, and other liquids, they don’t tear, which makes them perfect for a tough cleanup.

 

 

A video posted by Jenni at MamaPlusOne.com (@mamaplus1) on Oct 12, 2015 at 6:08pm PDT

I’m not kidding– it really does do the job. And, you can even select the size of sheet you use, with small sheets for small jobs, or tearing off larger sheets for a really big cleanup. Both spills only took one small sheet to clean up– with no tears and no drips left behind.

It means less time spent cleaning up, and more time spent enjoying the game and the food.

Because who wouldn’t want to enjoy these?

What is your go-to tailgating food? I’d love to hear all about it, and the mess you have after, so spill it in the comments below (pun intended)! And don’t forget to print out a coupon for $1 off of 1 Viva® Paper Towel or Viva® Vantage® Paper Towel 12-pack or larger before you head to Walmart– it’s perfect for all of your game time messes.