Recipe: Fall Off the Bone Baby Back Ribs*

Ingredients:

-Around 5 pounds baby back ribs
-salt & pepper, or a pork seasoning rub (there are lots of varieties)
-1 bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce 

Directions:  The following is the key to making your ribs truly "fall off the bone."  You need to remove the thin membrane on the underside of the racks of ribs before cutting them into portions for cooking.  

1. Preheat oven to 275. On the underside of the ribs, remove the thin membrane and discard (use a butter knife to loosen, then just peel it off). Try to keep it in one piece if you can, but if it breaks, just start again to pull off another portion.  After you get it all off, cut the ribs into serving sized portions (the 5 pounds of ribs should serve about four to six people). 

2. Season both sides of each piece well with salt and pepper, BBQ rub, and even some minced fresh garlic if desired.

3. Place the ribs in a roasting pan (they can overlap a little), cover with double thickness of tin foil.

4. Roast without opening for about 3 hours. (After this, if needed you can refrigerate them a few hours or overnight, then finish them in oven when you are ready to eat. They won’t look pretty until the sauce is on and they are finished up, so don’t be surprised if they look weird after baking.)   Transfer the ribs to a baking sheet. Spread the BBQ sauce generously over the ribs on both front and back.

5. Place oven rack near the top of the oven. Turn broiler on and broil the ribs for 3-5 minutes, or until the sauce begins to caramelize. Make sure you don't burn the sauce, so keep a close eye on the ribs! OR if you prefer, forget the broiler, bake them in a 400 degree oven with the rack in the usual position until they look ready to eat—probably up to a ½ hour.  Once the sauce is on they can burn, so watch them carefully.

NOTE:  If it’s summer and you want to finish them on the grill, just throw them on the grill after step 3 and cook until crispy and ready to eat.  They are fully cooked already from being in the oven, so you are just trying to get them hot and saucy/crispy—however you desire.

*Originally distributed in January 2013