Cindy’s Super Secret Rib Rub Recipe

My kids all love these ribs. I always tell them that they are so good thanks to my super secret rib rub. They then ask me what’s in it and I tell them it’s a secret. Since I have to keep coming up with recipe every time I run out, I decided it was time to write it down. Here it is:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup smoked paprika
3 tablespoons sea salt
3 tablespoons chili pepper
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cumin

Mix it all together really well and store in an airtight container. I put some into an empty spice container (a garlic powder one that ran out just when I was making this recipe) for easy shaking onto the ribs. Shake a generous amount on each side, being sure to rub it into the meat before you turn it over. I then put them into my crockpot on “keep warm”, which seems to be a code word for “low” these days, and leave them there for about 8 hours. You could just eat them right out of the crockpot, but to kick it up a notch you will want to paint your favorite BBQ sauce on the bottom, then put them into the oven on broil for about 3 minutes, next flip them over and repeat on the top side. I put the ribs on a little cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet for this step. I then cut into individual ribs and make sure to grab some for myself before the feeding frenzy starts.