There are a hundred different recipes for ribs, and I myself have at least a dozen ways I prepare them. My favorite way involves all-day basting every 30 minutes, usually with beef short ribs. But I love baby backs, spare ribs, St. Louis cuts, ect. Boneless country-style ribs are very inexpensive and can be prepared without basting. Although some prep ahead of time is necessary, I like this recipe for glazed ribs because the ingredients are very simple and everyone has them. If you want the BBQ flavor, just baste at the end with your favorite barbecue sauce. My kids usually just like them with the glaze; I add the sauce to mine. If you have never made ribs with a dry rub ahead of time, I think you are missing out! You can also grill ribs on the barbie after roasting in the oven for authentic flavor.
Texas Glazed Country-Style Ribs
3-4 lbs Country-Style Pork Ribs
¾ cup white sugar
1/8 cup salt
1 TB ground pepper
1 ½ TB paprika
1 TB garlic powder
*If you like heat, you can add a dash of cayenne, but I never do
Clean ribs and trim any excess fat. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, salt, ground black pepper, paprika and garlic powder. In a 9 x 13 pan (or a gallon zip-loc if the ribs will fit) liberally coat the ribs with ALL the dry rub. Refrigerate for at least eight hours (I usually just put them in the night before).
Put ribs in roasting pan (you can also use a foil covered 9 x 13 but I like the roasting pan better) and heat oven to 275 degrees. This may seem low, but remember that the temperature inside the roasting pan will be much higher. Bake in oven for 3-4 hours, checking every hour to ensure ribs do not become dry. They should be very moist and fall apart. Serve with mashed potatoes, coleslaw and warm rolls.
Note: Sweet sauces tend to work better with pork ribs, and savory with beef. If you want to try a unique BBQ sauce, try this one. It's based off of a famous BBQ restaurant in Montreal Canada called Bar-B-Barn, and contains apple sauce. I thought it was odd the first time I tried it, but it has grown on me. :)
