Divas on a Dime: Spoil Dad with BBQ ribs for Father’s Day

Sunday is Father’s Day. If you’re like most households, you’ll gather and share a meal in honor of dear old Dad. While it may be difficult to decide what gifts to get him, you can’t go wrong serving him barbeque. Especially barbequed ribs.

Tender fall-off-the-bone pork ribs are always a crowd pleaser. They’re affordable and frequently on sale. With dozens of ways to prepare ribs, each cook has their personal preference. Here’s mine: I like to simmer the ribs then finish on the grill. I find this to be the easiest, quickest and most goof-proof method to prepare killer delish ribs, every time.

When choosing ribs, St. Louis-tyle ribs are spareribs that have been trimmed of the rib tips. The great price point makes St. Louis-style ribs my cut of choice.

Ribs have a silvery membrane on the bone side of the piece that should be removed. It cooks up tough and nearly impossible to chew, so it must go. Start at one end and use a knife to loosen the end of the membrane, then use a paper towel to hold the slippery thing as you peel it off completely.

In the recipe below, we simmer the ribs before finishing on the grill. I recommend this for two reasons: tenderness and time. Simmering the ribs allows all the connective tissue to soften into juicy melt-in-your-mouth goodness in a fraction of the time it’d take to bake, smoke or grill alone. On average, it takes six hours to completely cook ribs using a low and slow method. That’s great if you have the time and inclination. Simmering ribs takes under two hours from start to table.

DIVA’S EASY BBQ RIBS

What You’ll Need:

1 or 2 slabs St. Louis Style Ribs

Salt

Your favorite dry rub - optional

Your favorite BBQ sauce *or see recipe below

Here’s How:

Place ribs in a stock pot and cover with water. Add one tablespoon salt and bring to a simmer. Cover pot with heat on LOW and simmer gently for 40 to 45 minutes or until the meat becomes tender and pulling away from the bone. When done, drain and place ribs on a platter to rest.

Meanwhile, heat the grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Season the ribs liberally with BBQ rub, if using. Alternatively, you can combine equal parts kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to season the ribs. Brush on a light coat of BBQ sauce and place ribs on the grill. Grill the ribs, basting with additional sauce and turning frequently, for 15 minutes, or until caramelized and browned.

Awesome Sauce – in a saucepan combine ½ stick unsalted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup ketchup. Add 1 tablespoon each of Worcestershire sauce, molasses, and apple cider vinegar. Add ¼ teaspoon each garlic powder and onion powder. Stir together until bubbling.

Since the BBQ is hot, grill some corn on the cob, make coleslaw and call it good! Happy Father’s Day from Divas On A Dime.

Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is the recipe developer and food writer of the website “Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous!” Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at divapatti@divasonadime.com