Ribs In The Oven with Maury Calvert's Barbecue Sauce

I live in an apartment and can't barbecue right now because there is no place for a barbecue grill.

I LOVE pork ribs (who doesn't?) and (as we'd say back home) "got to hankering some ribs" for New Years Day.

In years past, we would roast a whole pig in the back yard on New Years Day.  Here is the link to both the story I sold the L.A. Times in 2000, and the YouTube video of our January 1st,  2000 Pig Roast Party.  

But this year, 2016, a more modest version of roast pork and Black Eyed Peas was in order.

So, I made ribs in the oven.

The first thing to do is make up some Maury Calvert's Barbecue Sauce.  

Link:
MAURY CALVERT’S BARBECUE SAUCE

(from Tampa Treasures cookbook). 

This is the finest Mustard based barbecue sauce I’ve ever tasted, and is excellent for pork, chicken and fish.

1 pound butter (NOT margarine)

1 (10 ounce) bottle Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons Tabasco

1 cup prepared mustard

1 pint vinegar

3 lemons, include juice and grated rind 

(I use the grater on my food processor to grate the entire lemon, then switch to the "steel knife" blade and continue to pulverize all of it till it's sort of a lemon mush.)

salt, black pepper to taste, cayenne or red pepper to taste.

Melt butter; add remaining ingredients; cook until blended thoroughly.

 USE THIS SAUCE WHILE COOKING/BARBECUING.  It has no sugar, so it won’t burn like “sweet” red sauces.  You can also use it after, but it’s power is while you are cooking the meat.  Keep the meat wet with this, cook it slow, and it comes out incredibly moist and flavorful.

(This Sauce is great if you are roasting pork or ham. You can slow roast the meat by covering it in this sauce, wrapping it tightly in foil and roasting it at 275 for about double the usual time. Serve with rolls for mini sandwiches. Have extra sauce as a side to the meat on the table.)

This much requested recipe was a closely guarded secret of Eleanor Crowder until she stepped down as President of the Junior Service League of Miami.  As a parting gift to the League, she allowed it’s magazine, “Tropical Topics”, to publish her father’s treasured Tennessee barbecue recipe. 

I always make a double recipe so I can bottle some up for later.  Like most Southerners, I save jars that other sauces have come it to re-use.  Because this sauce is loaded with vinegar, it keeps very well, but once you open it, put it in the refrigerator.  Also, the butter will sometimes separate, just shake it vigorously to mix it again.

Once you've made the sauce, the rest is simple.

Preheat your oven to 300 F

Coat the ribs with the sauce.

Slow roast in the oven for about 2 hours.   You can continue basting the ribs while they are roasting, or not, your choice.  When they are very tender, remove and put another coat of sauce on the ribs.

Or, if you DO have a barbecue,  remove them and "finish" them on a hot grille for a few minutes.