Living in Vancouver (or any other ridiculously expensive city) means that owning the actual space and equipment to barbecue is a luxury. I wish I could go back in time and remind younger me of this fact, I would have been on the deck barbecuing every single meal all year long. I used to think that tasty ribs cooked in the oven were a contradiction in terms, which is silly when you think about it – ribs taste delicious however they’re cooked! I’ve been using my dear Uncle Howard’s rib recipe for a couple of years, it doesn’t feel like a real family gathering until he’s handed me the perfect spicy Caesar. He’s cautioned me on the fact that people think boiling ribs to soften them up is a taboo practice which is baffling to me, as this recipe makes the tenderest and most flavourful ribs I’ve ever tasted. Regardless, I’m here to tell you that delicious ribs can be made in your oven and best of all, the recipe can be completed in small steps well-ahead of time. The type of rib you choose isn’t exceptionally important, what you’re looking for is plenty of meat and a minimum of dangling excess fat and sinew (also known as silver skin). You can make your own barbecue sauce or buy it, I find that if I’m having a large dinner party it’s easier (and cheaper!) to buy store-bought barbecue sauce. I think that ribs are best when served with coleslaw and corn on the cob, this isn’t a rule by any means but I’ve never had ribs that didn’t taste heavenly when they were served with either or both of these two sides.

easy oven ribs:

As many ribs as you need per person, err on a larger amount and you’ll (fingers crossed) have leftovers

3 lemons, rinsed under very hot water to remove their bitter and waxy flavour

1 whole head of garlic, each clove smashed to remove the skin and left whole

1/2 cup of kosher salt

1/2 tsp. whole peppercorn

Barbecue sauce

1. Heat a very large stock pot over high heat about two thirds full of water. Add the lemons, garlic, salt, and peppercorns.
2. Carefully remove any of the tough silver skin found on the ribs, this tough tissue should be loosened at one end and then torn from the ribs in one piece.
3. Add the ribs to the boiling water, turn the heat down to simmering, and cook for one hour.
4. Remove the ribs from the boiling water and lay on a large baking pan, transfer the meat to the fridge and allow to cool down completely (I like to leave them overnight).
5. Take the ribs out of the fridge about half and hour before broiling and preheat the broiler. Brush ribs on both sides with barbecue sauce using a pastry brush, brown under the broiler until the sugars start to caramelize, flipping with tongs so that the both sides can begin to brown and sizzle.
6. Remove the ribs from the oven and serve with coleslaw, corn on the cob, watermelon, or any other summery side you prefer.

What can I say? I’ve been listening to The Cars almost non-stop the past week.

The Cars – Drive