This post for Sweet Tea Brined Fried Baby Back Ribs is sponsored by House-Autry Mills #GoingHAM #HouseAutry

Sweet Tea Brined Fried Baby Back RIBS

My dad and I are super competitive when it comes to cooking. We are always trying to one-up each other whenever we visit to see who’s got the best skills. It’s all in good fun and some delicious meals have been inspired by our rivalry.

A few years ago when we went to see my parents in South Carolina my dad cooked a batch of fried spareribs for us and it was absolutely delicious! Well, I can’t just let him win, can I? So I’ve come up with a recipe for sweet tea brined fried baby back ribs using House-Autry Mills pork breading to make a crispy crust! House-Autry Mills has been making great quality products like breading mixes, grits and sauces since 1812. Great flavor has kept them in business for a LONG time.

House-Autry Mills pork breading is a well-seasoned combination of corn and wheat flours with a variety of spices. I’ve also tried this fried baby back ribs recipe with House-Autry Mills chicken breading and it was delicious as well. Try them both to see which one is your favorite. I found House-Autry breading at Walmart but you can also find it at Harris Teeter, Kroger, Food Lion, and Publix. You can also find their products on Amazon and at House-Autry.com . Use my special code SweetSavant25 for a discount on House-Autry pork breading!

Brining the ribs in sweet tea draws moisture into the meat so that the ribs are plump and juicy after you cook them. Brining also helps bring the salt and other spices into the ribs so that they are seasoned down to the bone. Let me show you how I did it.

First, make the brine

I want to add the rich flavor of tea to this recipe so I started out by making a brine with hot water and for extra large tea bags that are usually used for making iced tea. I added salt and brown sugar as well as whole garlic cloves and fresh thyme. Cool the brine off by adding ice, you don’t want to add the ribs to a hot brine.

Cut the racks of baby back ribs into individual ribs with a sharp knife. I chose baby back ribs because they are super tender and they don’t take very long to cook. You could do this with spare ribs or Saint Louis thou ribs but they will take a little bit longer to cook. Place the ribs into the cooled brine then put the whole thing in the refrigerator overnight.

Next, shake the ribs in House-Autry Mills pork breading

Drain and rinse the ribs but don’t pat them dry you want moisture on the ribs to hold the House Autry breading mix in place. House-Autry pork breading is well seasoned and it will form a crisp crust around the ribs sealing the juiciness in.

Then FRY

Use a cast iron pan or deep fryer and oil, I use canola but you can use any neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point, to fry these ribs. Set the fryer to 350ﾟ. Place the House-Autry pork breading in a zip-top bag with 5 to 7 ribs (depending on how large your pot is) and shake well to coat. Shake any excess breading off and fry the ribs for 9 to 12 minutes depending on how thick the ribs are.

Finally, SERVE your sweet tea brined fried baby back ribs!

Once the ribs are fully cooked carefully remove them from the hot oil and place them on a wire rack to drain.

I served these sweet tea brined fried baby back ribs with tomato braised collard greens, roasted sweet potatoes, and cast iron skillet cornbread made with House-Autry Mills self-rising cornmeal mix.

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