Anytime Ribs

One dish I learned how to cook from my grandmother is her famous pork spare ribs.  It's always a hit at the 'buffet' table on our potluck gatherings.  It's nothing complicated, very simple in fact and as with every Filipino   we like to eat her version with rice.  The technique is simple, she massages the meat in garlic salt, black pepper, olive oil, a dash of worcestershire sauce and then she bakes it in the oven for about 2 hours at 350° heat.  Skip the barbecue sauce if you want to eat it Filipino style.  Instead serve it with rice and Filipino salsa -- a mixture of chopped tomatoes, green onions, & patis (fish sauce).

But since my husband is not a big fan of fish sauce I make mine with barbecue sauce.  I use store bought barbecue sauce although you could also make it from scratch.  Here are a few recipes that are worth trying:  Neely's BBQ Sauce, Mark Bittman's Fast, Down Home BBQ Sauce, Basic Barbecue Sauce.

Even my 2 year old loves this and it comes out so tender she can bite it off the bone with only a few front teeth!  And the good thing about it really is that you can make it rain or shine.

Oven Baked Spare Ribs
baby back ribs or spareribs (about 1 pound per person)
your favorite barbecue sauce
4 cloves garlic, pressed (or garlic salt)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
worcestershire sauce
extra virgin olive oil

Massage ribs with the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, & worcestershire sauce.  Cover and marinade 4 to 24 hours.
Heat oven to 350°.  Place ribs in roasting pan, cover tightly with foil and bake for 2 to 2.5 hours.  Covering the ribs in foil will create steam resulting in fall-off-the-bone tenderness.
Remove the foil cover and continue to cook for 10 minutes on each side to form a light sear on the outside.
Brush each side with barbecue sauce and cook for an additional 5 minutes on each side.

Other Rub Variations:

**Mark Bittman Rib Rub**
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
- Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl, then transfer the mixture to a covered container. Keeps for at least one summer.

**Emeril's Southwest Dry Rub Recipe**
3 Tbsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. cayenne
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. coriander
1 Tbsp. granulated garlic
1 Tbsp. granulated onion
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. cracked black pepper

**Bobby Flays Dry Rub **
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper