Pork Ribs with Barbecue Sauce

I like Martha Stewart. I really do. I was a fan before she built her massive empire and her face appeared on every media venue. Though, about a decade ago, I decided that her "Living" magazine wasn't really for me, because many of the recipes required two days! Little did I know at the time that was EXACTLY what I should have been doing, because working on a meal for that length of time with two small kids is a bit ridiculous. When "Every Day Food" appeared on the scene a couple of years ago, I knew this was for me. Plus, its own show on PBS - fantastic!

We never ate ribs growing up, so I was a bit at a loss as to how to prepare them. When in doubt, Martha has the answers. Not only did her guidance produce perfectly cooked ribs, the homemade BBQ is amazing. Seriously. I served a platter of these ribs to guests this summer and they kept coming back for more helpings.

Homemade BBQ sauce is awesome. You get to decide what goes in and (more importantly) what doesn't. This recipe makes four cups, which is more than enough and means you'll be able to store additional sauce in the fridge for next time.

Pork Ribs with Barbecue Sauce

Adapted from Every Day Food

2 slabs of baby back or pork spare ribs
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons mustard powder
3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
2 cups ketchup
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Season ribs all over with salt and pepper. Stack slabs on a large piece of heavy-duty foil; seal tightly, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Cook until meat is fork-tender, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Make barbecue sauce by heating oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in remaining ingredients - mustard powder, sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire, vinegar, molasses, and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.

Open foil carefully and brush cooked ribs with barbecue sauce. Set oven to broil and return for 3-5 minutes so the sauce get thickened and sticky. (Or, finish ribs on the grill instead.) Remove ribs from foil, and slice using a sharp chef's knife. Serve with more sauce.