St. Louis Cardinals star Dexter Fowler reveals his grilling tricks
Dexter Fowler might be known for his baseball talents, but the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder also knows a thing or two about the perfect barbecue ribs!
With extra time on his hands this spring due to the postponement of the MLB season, Fowler has been enjoying the unexpected time off with his wife Darya Aliya Baghbani and their two daughters, Naya and Ivy. With extra time on his hands, Fowler has been enjoying the chance to spend more some extra time with his family while also honing his grillmaster skills and cooking up some tasty dishes.
Among his signature dishes is his St. Louis-Style smoked ribs, which he manages to cook to perfection using a few of his signature tricks!
How to make the perfect barbecue ribs according to Dexter Fowler
As Fowler revealed via The Players’ Tribune, the trick to the perfect ribs always begins with the prepping of the ribs with help from a well combined dry rub and proper marinating time.
Per Fowler’s personal recipe, this involves mixing together a blend of sugar, paprika, dry mustard, salt, garlic, onion powder, and coriander which must be carefully mixed before being applied to the ribs. Before applying the dry rub, Fowler always applies a few tablespoons of vegetable oil which helps adhere the dry rub to the ribs with the key being to make sure to evenly coat both sides of the ribs before allowing them to marinate overnight.
When it comes time to cook the ribs, Fowler always cooks the ribs bone side down with the ribs arranged side by side with no space between. As his recipe notes, this helps to seal in the juices — and what’s better than juicy ribs?!
Another tip for juicy and flavorful barbecue ribs? Every 30 minutes, Fowler takes the time to apply apple juice on the ribs using a brush. If you don’t have a food brush, you can use a squirt bottle instead and coat the ribs every 30 minutes with approximately 10 spritzes.
Once your ribs have reached the correct internal temperature, Fowler’s final tip is to give them 30-45 minutes to rest before digging in!
Dexter Fowler’s childhood included family BBQs which brought his entire family together
For Fowler, food has always been something he’s associated with family. Having grown up in Atlanta, he developed a love of Southern cooking thanks in large part to his parents who were quite the duo with dad manning the grill and mom doing the rest.
"“When I was growing up, my dad was always on the barbecue. He made ribs that fell off the bone, and my mom did the rest — deviled eggs, collard greens and mac and cheese,” Fowler shared of his childhood in speaking withe The Players’ Tribune. “She also makes a great potato salad, and her spaghetti is unreal.”"
No matter how busy his family’s schedule got, they always came together to enjoy a good family meal, which is a tradition Fowler has continued with his family. And while he’s anxious to get back on the baseball diamond, he’s more than enjoyed the chance to build up his dad resume with the extra family time.