Cousin Buck's Ribs

Last month, I traveled to Washington, DC for a family reunion on my father's side. These folks were brave enough to pose for a picture.

            

My Cousin Bridgette (also an acclaimed opera singer who has performed with Placido Domingo), didn't waste time once she decided to get the family together. She just set a date, reserved a spot at a local park and told everyone to come with a dish. Now that's what I call a woman on a mission! At the end of the day, everyone was raving about Cousin Buck's Ribs. Here's Cousin Curtis after enjoying a few helpings.

            

Last week, I made my own version, adjusting Buck's recipe to suit my taste and what was in my kitchen at the time.

Meet the grillmaster, Cousin Buck, resting after slaving over hot coals.

            

1. Put a few pounds of cleaned beef ribs in a pot of water. Buck used bone in ribs, but I didn't have any. Add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. Bring the water to a boil. Boil the meat for 1 1/2 hours.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the marinade using barbeque sauce, salt, pepper, honey, real maple syrup, Dijon mustard, herbs, onions, green peppers and orange slices. I used the herbs I had on hand: thyme and rosemary. My son mixed everything. I love how comfortable he is in the kitchen.

            

Buck's recipe was more precise with measurements but with small kids around, I like to just estimate and stir. Here's the marinade.

            

Just look at those fresh oranges, herbs and chunks of chopped onion and green pepper.

3. After the ribs are boiled, pour off the water. Rinse the ribs, cut off the fat and place them in a baking pan. (I use my Pampered Chef Rectangular Stoneware Baker with lid for just about everything because it cooks meat evenly and keeps it moist. Mine doesn't look like the one at their website anymore.) Slather the ribs with the marinade. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight if you are not too hungry by now, stirring occasionally.

4. Buck used a grill at the reunion, but the day I made these, I didn't feel like getting dressed and going on the deck so I put the marinated meat in a cold oven, set it to 350º and let it cook for 3 slow hours, turning now and then and re-painting them with the marinade.

Here's what they looked like in my Pampered Chef Rectangular Baker when they were done.

            

See how "seasoned" my baker is around the edges? I told you I use it for everything.

The ribs fell apart at the touch of a fork. I served them with green beans and roasted potatoes made with fresh dill, garlic and olive oil. So easy even I could do it!

Happy grilling!