Savory meat such as I love...

That's what my father in law calls this. The old cook book my mother in law got the recipe from calls it "Chinese Baked Spareribs". I call it the best thing to do with poor little Babe the Pig and his ribs.



I don't think this picture captures the deliciousness of it all but here it is nonetheless.

This is a fabulous recipe because, beside from just being plain ol' yummy and easy, all the work (which isn't much) is done in advance. I love dinner recipes that I can do most of the hard labor in the morning or even the night before. This is one such recipe. All ya gotta do is slap the pan in the oven an hour and half before dinner. Easy peasie lemon squeesie!

Chinese Baked Spareribs:

3 lb.s boneless country style ribs

1/4 c. mustard

1/4 c. molasses

1/4 c. soy sauce

3 Tbs. vinegar

2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. hot sauce*

Place ribs in shallow baking dish. Combine ingredients, pour over ribs and chill for 3 hrs. or more, covered. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hrs. Baste frequently**. Turn ribs once during baking. Remove cover for last 15 minutes. Serves 4.

* Notice that the hot sauce is TEASPOONS. Not tablespoons. I point that out because one time I didn't pay attention and we had us some smokin' hot ribs that night. I didn't mind but Seth had heart burn for a week.

**If you are lazy like me... or uh, just busy... and basting isn't your thing, just double the sauce and put the ribs is a rounded baking dish so that they are immersed in the sauce. Voila! No basting needed! I just about always do it this way. And Seth loves having lots of sauce to pour on the mashed potatoes, which in his mind MUST accompany these ribs. My brother in law has reportedly been addicted to this sauce at one point in his life and used it to cook everything from chicken thighs to Ramen noodles. This is "man food" at it's best.

This is a long standing favorite around here. They are simple and virtually impossible to mess up. Let me know if you try it!