Oh, summer's guilt and pleasure, the smell of something cooking on the grill, soon to be shared and enjoyed with family and friends. There are the staples of summer, fresh sweet corn, sweet ripe tomatos off the vine, mouth wateringly sweet strawberries and watermelon, lemonade, and of course, barbequed ribs. Over time, I have come to learn that there is an art and science to succulent meaty ribs with a crunch on the outside. There are many processes to achieve this, but I can say for sure that I know now the finer points in the preparation of this fine summer feast.

My husband and I have tried various methods of preparing baby back pork ribs through the years with varying levels of success, and this past summer we hit the jackpot! Yup, lip smacking, mouth watering, crisp, seared outer layer and fall-off-the-bone goodness, dirty face and hands with a big satisfied smile, fabulously delicious ribs. Listen up, and I'll share our method only because the rewards are too great to keep a secret.

We start with one or two rack of baby back pork ribs. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. First of all, lay the ribs, bone side up, and place a table knife gently under the thin membrane that is on the bones and lift it until you can pull it off with your fingers - discard. Next, cut up a couple of sweet onions and lay the slices in the bottom of a large baking casserole dish. Then lay the ribs, bone side up over the onions. Assuming at this point that you are taking care of yourself as well as taking care of dinner, open one bottle of beer for yourself (this step can be omitted without compromising the outcome of the ribs but I like this step) and one to pour over the ribs, and then generously salt and pepper (fresh ground) the ribs. Finally, cover tightly with foil and place in the preheated oven for 2 hours. Do not open the oven and uncover the ribs to check on them no matter how tempting it may be; the rewards for your patience and admirable self control will be great.

Upon taking the ribs from the oven, have a grill prepared (we use a charcoal grill), and the BBQ sauce of your choice. Place the baked ribs on the medium hot grill for about 15 - 20 minutes per side, basting occassionally with the sauce of your choice. We often do one rack with honey BBQ sauce, and the other with a teriyaki BBQ sauce. Serve with a pile of napkins, and the sides of your choice. They're absolutely the best tasting home prepared ribs I've ever had or made!

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