Not too long ago, a good friend of mine called to give me a heads up on a really good sale on steaks and ribs at my local grocery store chain. That's a good friend, I tell ya! =) I was getting ready to go grocery shopping, so it was perfect timing. She mentioned that she got some pork ribs and she was telling me that she got it from the meat case and by listening to some of the other ladies that were ordering, she was able to really ask for a good piece of meat.
So, I took her advice and asked my butcher to do the same thing. I asked for a whole rack of pork ribs, which happened to be about 6 lbs. You want one that is trimmed of excess fat. I asked him to cut it down the middle and crack it. My friend wasn't sure what the ladies meant by "crack it", but now we do. =) There is a section of bone on a whole rack of ribs that goes across the top and is hard to cut through. "Cracking it" is when they cut through that bone for you. See top, right piece of meat in the picture below.
I've cooked ribs in the oven before, but I usually cut up my rack and then boil it first. I wanted to bake these from start to finish.
These were thee best ribs. Ever. So, I will tell you how I made mine and you can either be jealous ;) OR you can make some too. I think the latter statement is the better thing to do. =)
Sherry's 10 Napkins Baked BBQ Pork Ribs
Ingredients:
6 lbs. whole rack pork ribs - split and cracked =) and trimmed of excess fat
Dry Rub Ingredients
1 teaspoon of each:
chili powder
black pepper
cayenne pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
Mrs. Dash original blend
smoked paprika
1 TBS Kosher Salt
5 or 6 dry bay leaves
Directions:
Cut the rack into sections. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
Sprinkle dry mix generously onto your meat, then rub it in being sure to get both sides. I use my hands!
In a large 13x9 glass dish, place about 4 or 5 dry bay leaves. Arrange your seasoned meat with the meat side facing up and then add about an inch of water to the pan.
Place in a 200* oven, uncovered for 1 hour. After an hour, check the water level and add more if needed.
Bake for another hour.
After the second hour, remove from oven and turn up to 300*. Pour out any water left in the dish.
Using a basting brush, liberally cover the ribs with barbeque sauce and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, turn up temperature to 350*.
Remove meat from oven, uncover and add more bbq sauce. Return to oven for 25 more minutes.
After 25 minutes, put meat under broiler for about 5 minutes to crisp up the edges, but keep an eye on it.
Three hours later - but you will have THEE best ribs. Seriously. Try it and tell me if this is not true.
Of course, we had corn on the cob and potato salad to make it the perfect summer meal.
Next time I make this, I will put it on the gas grill for the last few minutes instead of the broiler.
ENJOY!! And oh! Don't forget to have plenty of napkins!! ;)
