Ribs

I never really liked ribs until a few years back, when after much coaxing from the boys and Thor I was persuaded to try. Before I made them myself, ribs were work! Lots. Of. Work.

The whole cooking process was a mess, then after you cooked them you have to fight to eat them. Even in a restaurant, they always were a struggle. I hated the fact that I had to tear the meat from the bone and then pick it out of my teeth like a barbarian. This was not my idea of relaxing family fare.

Then I ran into a terrific teacher who taught me his professional tricks. It got down to very little:
1. Buy the best ribs you can afford.
2. Trim off the membrane from the underside of the ribs (tough to do, but try to get as much as you can.)
3. Cook them low and slow.

Now beyond that folks decide whether they like dry or wet, hot or sweet, yada vs yada. Me? I use a dry rub, slightly spicy (read, barely this side of hot, but according to The Hygienist they are no where near hot). I place them on parchment, wrap them tightly and bake them 6 (yes SIX) hours at 250 without so much as a peek. They come out deep brown on the outside and fade to a sweet pink to light brown near the bone. I wait to bathe them in a sweet honey barbecue sauce until just before serving. I let it caramelize and then we act like the cave men we are and gobble them down.

The photos do not do them justice! However they do prove that those bones literally fall off clean. No pulling, no struggle, no meat in your teeth. Just perfectly tender juicy caveman fare! I pair them up with fresh cole slaw, slow cooked baked beans, and grilled fresh pineapple. Better grab the napkins!