Barbecue Ribs

You can make tender, fall off the bone ribs at home. The secret to getting the meat so tender? Boiling the ribs before you grill 'em. I know, it sounds gross, but it works.

You can use your favorite barbecue sauce or the one I've included here. For the most flavor, marinate the ribs overnight. (But a couple of hours in the fridge will be fine, too.) Since the ribs are already cooked when you marinate them in the barbecue sauce, there is no risk of passing on bacteria when you baste the ribs with the same sauce as you grill.

BARBECUE RIBS

5-6 lbs. pork loin back ribs or spare ribs
barbecue sauce

Cut ribs into 6-inch slabs. Place ribs in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender but not quite falling off the bone. Remove ribs to a large casserole dish and let cool. Slather with barbecue sauce, cover with plastic wrap and marinate in fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Remove ribs from refrigerator and let stand at room temp for 15 minutes. Lightly coat grill with cooking spray. Preheat grill to med-high heat. Grill ribs 10 - 20 minutes, or until well-browned, basting with sauce and turning frequently.

BARBECUE SAUCE
adapted from Barbequed Pork Ribs on Allrecipes.com

1/4 cup butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. liquid smoke
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in butter until the onion is tender; remove from heat. In a blender, combine vinegar, water, ketchup, honey, brown sugar, liquid smoke, and lemon juice. Pour in onion mixture and puree. Return mixture to saucepan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.