In the Kitchen with Gram...BBQ'd Ribs!

I've got a confession to make...one that, just recently, my Gram confided that she concurred with...and that confession?

We aren't rib fans.

I've been fairly vocal about that amongst my family, but not Gram...her revelation was like an "A-HA!!" moment for me. Like, "so THAT'S where I get it from!"...or something. (Also, not a chicken wing fan. I'll eat my Gram's and my mom's but you'll never...ever, ever, ever, never...find me ordering them at a restaurant. Boneless, yes. Traditional? Never. Ever, ever, ever, never.) Actually, I've realized I'm a lazy eater. And ribs (and wings) fall under the "too much work to eat" category. Too many bones to pick around.

But then, Gram suggested we try them with country style ribs...you know, the "more meat than bones" ribs? And since her ribs are pretty much FAMOUS in our family, I thought, "heck, let's give it a shot".

The result? *groan* So delectable!

Let's start with the sauce.

The line up:

Ketchup.

Water, 2x as much as the ketchup. Oops. Forgot to take a picture of this...just use your imagination...2 parts water to one part ketchup.

Salt.

Pepper.

Brown sugar. (No photo...trust me, it's in there.)

Garlic powder. 

Chili powder:

Worcestershire sauce.

Lemon juice.

Tabasco sauce.

And diced onion.

Bring to a boil while you're prepping the meat. 

Now, grab your ribs.

Sprinkle them heavily with lemon pepper and salt and top them with onions and lemon slices. (Aunt Alice created this recipe and she told my Gram, "No, don't forget to put the lemon slices on there"...and apparently Aunt Alice was an incredible cook. It was Aunt Alice, right Gram?)

Now it's time to brown these babies...crank up the heat to 400-450*, bake ribs for approximately 45 minutes or until brown. (As you can see, they aren't brown like if you'd brown them in a pan.)

Drain grease, and then...pour sauce over the ribs:

Reduce head to 325* and bake ribs for 2-3 (or 4) hours, until tender and fall apart-y. (There's a technical culinary word for you..."fall apart-y", it means "so tender the meat falls off the bone" in French.)

Remove from pan and serve alongside of Half-Baked Potatoes for a meal of perfection!

Gram's BBQ Ribs

Printable Recipe

1# Ribs per person

Lemon Pepper

Salt

1/2 Large onion-diced

1/2 Large onion-sliced

Lemon slices to place on meat

BBQ Sauce:

1 Part ketchup to 2 parts water

1 t Pepper

1 t Salt

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 T Chili Powder

1/4 c Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tsp Tabasco Sauce

1/4-1/2 c brown sugar

1/4-1/2 c lemon juice

Heat oven to 400-450*. Place ribs in roaster, generously salt and Lemon Pepper the ribs, place onion slices and lemon slices on top of seasoned meat, brown in oven for 45 minutes. For sauce, mix together sauce ingredients, bring to a boil while meat is browning, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. After meat has browned, pour sauce over ribs, making sure to cover ribs with sauce, reduce heat to 325* and bake for 2-3 (or even 4) hours, until meat is tender and falling off the bone.

Enjoy with Half-Baked Potatoes!