So, we made some ribs, y’all. REALLY good ribs. I mean, ribs you’d take a bullet for.

But it’s not like we woke up one day and said, “Hmmm, slow roasting some pork in the oven for two hours sounds like a mighty fine idea!” I’ve never made ribs. Whole cuts of raw meat scare me! So it wasn’t actually my first choice of dish to make on a Saturday.

It’s these cupcakes’ fault!

Southern Girl Desserts is a fairly new in town. I had an awesome Groupon for them and wanted to sample their famous Sweet Potato Pie cupcakes (far left, below).

We got some lemon ones and red velvet ones as well. (How can you NOT?) Since the cupcakes were mostly southern flavors, I thought…well, now, maybe I should make a southern-style dinner too? Because you know, if I didn’t, what’s the point, then? (Really, I was just looking for an excuse to cook and decided to blame the innocent cupcakes.)

Sweet-salty-tangy barbecue sounded really southern, and really good. Except, you know, I didn’t want to do chicken. Been there, cooked that. Having never made ribs before and not having a grill, along with the fact that I hadn’t had pork in forever, I decided to follow my gut and decided on ribs. I remember my Mama Del (I know that sounds southern, too, but she’s actually my very Filipino godmother) making ribs in the oven. Could I do it? I wanted to do it!

First off, I stared the ribs down.

That is a LOT (scary amount) of pork (about four pounds total). I didn’t quite know what to do, but the Internets said to prep the huge hunk o’ pork by removing the membrane on the bony side, working the tip of a knife under it and pulling/peeling the membrane off. Which I did, with furrowed brows and an iron will. (I didn’t take pictures because I had busy, porky hands!)

I preheated the oven to 300 degrees. Next, I prepared a spice rub: ¾ c. light brown sugar + 1 tsp. paprika + 1 tbsp. garlic powder + ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, mixed all together.

I also had some Liquid Smoke on hand, and put that all over the ribs. It gives them that classic hickory barbecue flavor.

I then rubbed the spice mix all over.

On two sheets of foil (shiny side out), we laid the seasoned rack of ribs, covered with another two sheets of foil, and crimped the whole package tightly. (E. is now an expert foil crimper!) After wrapping the other rack the same way, we placed both on a cookie sheet.

Those foil packets went into the oven for two to two and a half hours. And let me tell you, if you make these ribs, those will be the most torturous hours of your life! Smoky, sweet, spicy barbecue smells come wafting out of your kitchen, invading your nostrils, forcing you to do random things like watch bad TV, twirl around or drink copious amounts of water just so you could get your mind off what’s baking in the oven.

After two+ hours, you can check and see if the meat has shrunk from the edges of the bones. The Fork Test always works: if it flakes easily, it’s done!

Cut the ribs into portions of about two to three pieces each. Brush some of your favorite barbecue sauce on top of each piece. Broil for about one to two minutes on each side, or do what we did and just stick them back into your oven after you’ve cranked it up to 400 degrees while you’re brushing them. Heat through and serve! I made some biscuits and succotash to go with these.

These are the BEST, MOST AWESOMEST ribs I’ve ever eaten, and all the credit goes to THIS recipe. You won’t try ribs any other way.  They’re so flavorful and tender, I had to eat some of mine with a fork because they just fell off the bone!

I felt so grown up after making these ribs. Maybe it’s because it’s always been something my parents have made. These will be perfect in the summer with some fresh corn on the cob. And the next time I make these, I won’t even use the cupcake excuse!

Hope you find time in these warming months to give this recipe a try, with or without some red velvet cupcakes to finish off your meal.