BBQ Ribs

Yesterday was the Super Bowl...the infamous yearly event that people look forward to at the end of every football season.  It's the time to get together with friends and family to root for your favorite team, to pig out like there's no tomorrow and to laugh your butts off at all of the crazy commercials!

I will say that I normally look forward to it; however I'm not much of a fan of Green Bay nor Pittsburgh so it was rather difficult to get into the festive mood.  I thought the commercials really lacked substance this year (with the exception of a few), but none really stood out to me as the best of the year.  The half-time show was a flop and Christina Aguilera's rendition of the National Anthem was rather a disgrace to our country and what it stands for.  And the game, itself, really wasn't that good...I was hoping for something a little more exciting!

With all that negativity though, some good definitely came out of it.....these ribs!!!  We love BBQ ribs and being in the South, BBQ anything is always on the menu!  You really can't go wrong and even though it's not Summer and you can't throw 'em on the grill and slather 'em up with BBQ sauce, you can still make a pretty mean meal out of it with just a little help from the trusty 'ol oven.  Actually, I prefer them this way as opposed to the grill because they become so tender and so succulent; the meat literally falls off the bone and melts in your mouth.  And the caramelization that the BBQ sauce goes under during the process.....TO.DIE.FOR!!!

BBQ Ribs

Ingredients
5 lbs. Baby Back Ribs
Salt
Pepper
BBQ Sauce (I prefer Sweet Baby Ray's)

Directions
Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Prep the meat by bringing it to room temperature well before getting ready to cook it.  Once it's ready, flip it over to the back side where you'll find a layer of white membrane.  Gently insert the tip of a butter knife between the membrane and the meat to lift it up and pull it away (you definitely want to remove as much of it as you can...it tends to make the meat a little tough and stringy if you don't).  Discard the membrane when finished.

Season both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper and place in a roasting pan.  Covered with double thickness aluminum foil, bake for 4 hours.

Remove the ribs from the pan and place on a baking sheet.  Slather them with BBQ sauce (as much or as little as you want) and place them under the broiler for 5 minutes (be sure to leave the oven door slightly cracked so they don't burn)!

Yield: 4 Servings
Source: Adapted from Steamy Kitchen