Okay, I should probably preface what I’m about to talk about. So as you all might know, Rob and I have a very energetic, 2-year old pup named Granger (more about her  here). To keep her a bit — subdued — we have to walk her… A LOT. I’m talking up to 5 miles a day; a long one in the morning and evening, and a short one in the afternoon during lunch. It took a long time to get used to, but now I kind of love it. The morning walk is usually alone, time to prep myself for the day to come. The evening one is time for Rob and I to unwind and talk. Sometimes, though, we get on really weird topics — I mean we spend hours and hours walking/talking a week, so it’s bound to happen, right!?

Anyway, so one day we were walking and Rob asked, if you could only have one kind of meat (poultry, pork, or beef) for the rest of your life, which would you pick? So silly, but also kind of fun if you think about it! We debated back and forth; first I decided poultry because I’m obsessed with turkey (obviously the best deli meat) — I mean what would Thanksgiving be with out it? But Rob kindly reminded me that without pork there would not be any bacon — because let’s face it, turkey bacon isn’t bacon.  How about beef though — no real hamburgers? Or steaks on the grill? That’s the best part; you know this would never actually happen, so it’s kind of funny going over different scenarios and what you would or wouldn’t be able to live without!

All of this is to say, these ribs are phenomenal — I couldn’t never give up pork because it would mean having to live without these! What’s one meat based dish that you couldn’t live without!?

Spicy Dr. Pepper BBQ Ribs
Source: Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 can Dr. Pepper
1 can (5 Ounces) Chipotle Peppers Packed In Adobo
1/3 cup Brown Mustard
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 packages Pork Baby Back Ribs

Instructions:

Prepare the marinade by gently boiling the first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan until reduced and thick, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Divide into two containers and refrigerate one container for later.

Place ribs on a large baking sheet lined with heavy foil. Brush half the marinade all over the ribs on both sides. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 8 hours to marinate.

When you’re ready to cook the ribs, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place the pan, still covered in foil, into the oven for 2 hours. Remove the foil and increase the temperature to 300. Using the other half of the sauce, brush another generous layer all over the ribs. Return the pan to the oven and continue cooking for another 30 to 40 minutes, brushing on another layer of sauce as it cooks.

Remove the ribs when they’re fork tender (keep cooking until they are). Slice and serve.