The nice thing about pork ribs is that you can cook it in many ways. You can have it grilled, roasted or fried. But, if you want your pork ribs to be so tender that they literally melt in your mouth, then you should try cooking these by using the oven. Here are the simple steps to follow to cook pork ribs in this way.

A. Preheat the oven at 250 degrees.

B. Wash and clean pork ribs. Ask your butcher to cut the bones into 3 pieces. For larger portions, you can cut into 4 pieces. Also, it would be good if the pork is young so the meat is assured to become tenderer and the bones are tastier.

C. Season pork ribs with salt and pepper. You can add more spices if you like. You can also choose to brush the ribs with a good barbecue sauce. You can also marinade it b mixing some sauce, pepper, garlic powder and some brown sugar. Marinade at least 2 hours before cooking. This is a good way for the ribs to absorb all the marinade for a more flavorful taste.

D. Place the bones side to side and upside down in a baking pan and add a little water, just enough to submerge the ribs. You can also use some extra marinade to put into the pan to cover the ribs instead of water. Cover the pan with some heavy duty foil. This locks in all the flavors and the heat for the ribs to cook in.

E. Cook for 3 hours. To check if the ribs are cooking well, you can take the pan out of the oven and slightly open the foil. Gently use a fork to press on meat near the bone. If it slices off easily, then the meat is cooked. But if you want it to be more off the bone, then you can cook it a few minutes more and check again to see if the ribs are done to your liking.

The secret in cooking pork ribs in the oven is the low temperature and slow cooking. Add to that your favorite sauces and mixes which you put in the ribs and follow the above steps. In that way, you can enjoy your pork ribs to the last bone!

A recommended cooking tip: Brush the ribs with your favorite sauce at the last half of cooking to get the best flavor.

Jonathan Pitts

Copyrighted material; do not reprint without permission.

 

View all articles by Jonathan Pitts