Best Ribs Recipe Prepared in the Green Girl Kitchen

Start with pork spareribs or babyback ribs.  I buy mine from the butcher's counter at Stater Bros.  Make sure you look the ribs over for a good amount of meat on them and you want a little fat too.   Two full racks with serve four with a rib or two left over, they're so good though, usually they don't make it past the table.  You'll notice that these ribs are not baked in barbeque sauce, its added at the end.  Don't worry about them not tasting "saucy" enough, you won't be sorry you prepared them this way.

First thing before I prepare my ribs, I take out a cookie sheet which is an old one that I no longer bake cookies on.  Unless I have extra wide foil, I take two sheets cut the same length and put them together.  I fold one long edge together making a seam so that when opened up, its a double wide square of foil.  I wrap my cookie sheet loosely in the foil making sure to press down into the sides and corners.  Then I place the ribs in the pan rib side up.  I rub the ribs with plenty of coarse salt and black pepper, turn the ribs over and repeat on the meat side.  You can subsitute your favorite barbeque seasonings if you prefer.  After seasoning the ribs, place the entire pan into the refrigerator until you are ready to bake.  I like to let the meat marinate in the seasonings for at least 30 minutes but its not a deal breaker.  Placing foil on the pan helps in the end with clean up, the pans end up very messy.  If you don't want to use foil, spraying the pan with non-stick spray may do the trick.

Three hours prior to serving time, set oven at 275, pour one and a half cups of vinegar (white or apple cider) into the side of the pan and place inside the oven to slow bake.  The vinegar gives off strong fumes while baking that turn into good ribs smelling odors through out the house. 

After one half hour, turn rack over rib side up.  Every half hour after this turn the racks over.  The last half hour raise the oven to 325.

When three hours of cooking are finished, remove the ribs from the oven and let sit 15 minutes to seal in juices.

Heated store bought barbeque sauce will be good on the ribs, however, I prefer homemade.  Here is a simple, quick recipe for barbeque sauce: 1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon molasses, 1 table spoon vinegar, stir constantly with a spoon while heating in a pan on med/low until no noticeable brown sugar granules.  For a spicy flavor, add hot chili flakes or a drop or two of tobasco.

This is a photo of the rib platter following dinner for four: