LIZ'S BARBECUED RIBS

I've always found preparing barbecued ribs a little intimidating.  It's easy to get that gorgeous glazed look right off the grill but it's not so easy to make sure the inside is cooked without charring the outside.  My friend, Liz, makes a super easy version that doesn't involve a grill.  I made them this weekend for the dinner celebrating my sister's and brother-in-law's March birthdays.

Menu:

Liz's Barbecued Ribs
Mashed Potatoes
Salad (made by my sister, Lori)
Angel food cake with fresh strawberries

Ingredients for Liz's Barbecued Ribs:

Your favorite ribs
Mrs. Dash Original Seasoning
Your favorite barbecue sauce

First, I bought a huge package of pork ribs at Costco.  Then, after patting them dry with a paper towel, I doused both sides of the ribs with Mrs. Dash seasoning.  I cooked them on half-sheets at 250 degrees for 4 hours.  I removed the ribs from the oven and poured barbecue sauce over the ribs, covered them with foil, and put them in the refrigerator to soak up all of that yummy sauce.  I marinated these ribs for five hours.

Hours later, I pulled the ribs from the fridge and poured a little more sauce on top, put them back in the oven at 325 degrees for one hour.  The whole house smelled delicious.  After removing from the oven, I let the meat rest for 10 minutes, and then sliced the ribs with a sharp knife.  It's a pain but no way around this chore since you can't give your dinner guests a slab of ribs (well, technically you can but that would be oh, so tacky).  Then we ate them.  Oh, my heavens, these were exactly as I had hoped.  What's that saying?  "Finger-lickin' good!"  And since I made waaay too many, I stashed the rest in the freezer for a future dinner.

You can also make these ahead and freeze them.  Liz cooks them for 4 hours as described above, pours the barbecue sauce on top (her favorite is a blend of Bill Johnson's Barbecue Sauce: 1/2 original, 1/4 mesquite, 1/4 hickory) and then freezes the ribs with the sauce.  When she is ready to serve, she lets them thaw, and then cooks for one hour at 325 degrees.  Isn't she clever?

All photos by E. Rees