Baby Back Ribs for Ian's Birthday

OK, so I lied. The pictures are actually being posted today, two days after we ate those beautiful baby back ribs. And the reason, well you see I am a secret spy and I was called away on a mission. Ian is also a spy but he works for a rival company and our code names are Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I have big lips and Ian looks very similar to Brad Pitt. This business that needed to be attended to, code name "sit on the couch and be lazy all weekend" was a very tough and complicated one. I can not tell you anymore, other than I was fighting off the evils that threaten our dear country, not anywhere near the living room or DVD player.

Ok, Ok, you got me...there is no need for spies in this country because no one would threaten Canada, what could they possibly want, our Maple Syrup? If they asked nicely we would give it to them.

The truth is that Ian and I had a nice quiet day inside eating delicious leftovers after he partied his birthday night away.

As you can probably guess the night of Ian's birthday was quite a blur for him. Luckily we had a nice dinner for two before the antics started. I knew that ribs were going to be on the menu because we watched this new show on Food Network Canada called "Chuck's Day Off" and Ian was practically licking the screen when Chuck made his signature ribs. Now this guy Chuck has a four star restaurant down in the Old Port of Montreal but the episode aired last Monday night and I knew that I would never be able to get reservations for Friday.

So, I called my mom and begged her for her rib recipe. My mom makes THE BEST RIBS EVER. Everyone knows it, and no one would ever dispute it. But it just started to get warm here and the BBQ's won’t be running for at least another couple weeks, so she sent me a revised version that uses the broiler. I didn’t want to make Chuck's because it was long and involved where as my moms recipe was super simple and I knew it would come out great. I also bought some amazing racks from our wonderful butcher down the street and the result was some fall off the bone, pure heaven ribs. If Ian had his way we would be eating these every day of the week.


My Mom's Amazing Ribs

2 racks Pork back ribs (makes enough for 4)
2 cups hot water
Kraft BBQ sauce
(some BBQ sauces are very strong and will overpower the ribs but this one has a subtle flavour. Use your favourite if you like.)

Pre-heat oven to 325°F
Remove thin, translucent membrane from the non-meaty (concave) side of ribs. This will allow flavours to penetrate more effectively, and give a more tender end product. The best way to do this is to loosen a little of the membrane at one corner using your fingernail. Then, with a paper towel, grasp the membrane firmly and pull it away from the ribs.
Place ribs covered lightly in BBQ sauce, meaty side up, in a 2-inch (5 cm) deep baking sheet or dish with water and cover with foil. Bake in oven for about 1 1/2 hours, or until meat begins to shrink away from the bone tip, and meat is easily pierced with a knife point. Remove from oven and at this stage, ribs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Slather ribs with BBQ sauce and place on baking sheet lined with foil. Move oven rack up close to the top elements. Turn oven to Broil.
Baste and turn every few minutes or so until ribs are nicely coated and hot. Barbecue sauce burns very easily, so keep a close eye on them.
OR
Slather ribs with BBQ sauce and place on baking sheet lined with foil in the oven at 325°F (in one layer - no water) and check every 15 minutes until they are coated and sticky.