BBQ Ribs

Tonight I'm making ribs. Why? Because they're on sale this week, silly. ;)  Plus the family loves them. Oh yes.

I don't make 'rack ribs' I make 'country style' ribs, which are boneless  hunks of pork (or nearly so, sometimes they have a bit of rib bone on one edge). I know a LOT of people love rack ribs, and that's fine, I just can't see the logic in paying $4 a pound (or more) for something that's mostly bone and very little meat when I can spend less than $2 a pound for the exact opposite. Plus, with rack ribs, the little bits of meat get in my teeth, which I don't like. These you can eat with your fingers, or a knife and fork. Or slice them up and put on a salad. Or whatever.

Anyway, start with the ribs. Since there are 3 of us, I usually get about 6 ribs, not because it'll make two a piece, but because, well, I can cut them roughly in half before cooking and have lots of leftovers! :)

Once I have them separated into portions I like, I put them in a big pot with enough water to cover and set it to boil. They need to boil for about 30 minutes (my mom taught me this trick, and it is optional, honestly, but the ribs will be more tender. As in fall-apart tender. Num num!)

Btw, the water will look really gross and scummy. Don't let that bother you.

Set your oven (yes, I said oven) to 375˚F and line a big cookie sheet with foil. I think these taste better baked, er, roasted. Other's might disagree but these are my ribs. ;) Plus, in the oven, there's no lugging out the charcoal or grilling in a snowstorm. Ovens are always an option. If you'd rather grill, that's totally cool with me. :)

Anyway, once your ribs have boiled for about half an hour, use tongs to remove them from the water and place them on the big, foil-lined cookie sheet so they're not-quite touching. Some touching is okay but they need a little breathing room. Pour a good dollop of your favorite barbeque sauce on each (I'm partial to Kraft Original because that's the one Bill eats up the best, but I've used all kinds) and kinda smear it around with a basting brush or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 15 min, then flip them all over and apply fresh barbeque sauce. Bake 15 min more.

And they're done. And they're awesome. Promise!

I like to serve these with 'something cheesy' (mac and cheese, scalloped potatoes, veggies in cheese sauce, etc) and something green, like green beans, broccoli, or salad. They reheat really well. :)