Father's Day Oven-Baked Ribs

We just celebrated Father's Day this past Tuesday. I had planned to do something with shrimp and then, a day or two before, my husband says, "You should make ribs. We never make ribs." He's right. I attempted ribs once when we were first living together and it must not have been a glorious moment because I've never made them again, nor have I had any interest in making them since!  Partly, I don't particularly care for ribs. I remember going through a phase in middle school when I liked them, but they seem to me to be a lot of work for little nibbles of meat.  Well I'm about to offer you a recipe that might just change your mind. It certainly changed mine! Partly, it was the BBQ sauce, though; the BBQ sauce recipe that follows is absolutely to die for (and I don't use that cliche lightly). It's a sauce that leans a bit more to the teriyaki side of things, but since eating these ribs, I've dreamed of other uses for that heavenly sauce! Also, this recipe is so, so easy. Your guests will think you're Bobby Flay, and will never know how little effort you actually put forth!

Oven Baked BBQ Ribs
Sorry for the glare, took this picture in a hurry! The men were drooling!

Ingredients

Ribs
3-4 lbs baby back pork ribs
1/2 cup dry rub (below)
Most Delicious BBQ Sauce (below)

Dry Rub (combine the following):
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp of each: paprika, chili powder, garlic powder
1 tsp of each: salt, pepper, cumin









Most Delicious BBQ Sauce (from TheComfortofCooking.com)
Wisk all ingredients together and set aside:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Pat ribs dry and slather with a 1/2 cup of the dry rub. Give those ribs a good rub down. You want the brown sugar to dissolve a bit.

2. Wrap the ribs in foil (be sure it's sealed up because you will have juices). Place on a cookie sheet with a lip (also called a jelly roll pan in some circles) and pop in a 300 degree oven for 2-1/2 - 3 hours. That's it!  I placed my ribs meat side down so that they could simmer in their own juices... That'll teach em!

3. Around the 2-1/2 hour mark, check the ribs for tenderness. You can do this a couple different ways: wiggle the bones around and see how loose they feel in the meat and/or stick a fork in a meaty party and twist it, you want the meat to give way without much effort.

4. Once the meat is tender, turn the oven to 350 degrees, and pull the ribs out. You'll want to drain the juices and flip the rack over so they are sitting (in the foil) meat side up.  Keep the foil open, exposing the ribs, and brush with BBQ sauce. You'll want to be fairly liberal here. Use about a third of the sauce.

5. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, basting every 10-15 minutes, until the sauce caramelizes.

That's it!  

I served mine with homemade coleslaw, loaded baked potatoes, and warm, french bread.

P.S. That BBQ sauce would be wonderful on chicken (think kebobs), salmon, or in a beef stirfry - just to name a few places that have been bouncing around in my head!