Awesome Ribs for Pork or Beef

Submitted by Leggy Peggy

"This is an awesome and easy-to-make rib recipe. I always thought it was my mother's creation, but a few years ago I found a very similar version in a 1950s Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. We'll never know who made it first. My mother was a home economist, and a goddess of recipes -- I should post more of her gems. Anyway, I usually make this with pork ribs (almost any cut), but also discovered that it was great for beef ribs. That was when I lived in Syria and pork was hard to get. The first time I ordered ribs from the Syrian butcher, he proudly and kindly cut out the ribs. Bummer. By the way, don't be put off by the number of steps. This is really easy to make."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 8
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 4 1⁄2 lbs of meaty pork ribs or 4 1/2 lbs beef ribs
• 2 medium yellow onions, sliced thickly (1/3 of an inch)
• 1 to 2 lemon, juice of, only
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use only 1/2 teaspoon)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 1⁄3 cup Worcestershire sauce

directions

1. Cut ribs into individual ribs, and place all the pieces in large roasting pan.
2. Scatter the thickly sliced onions over the ribs.
3. Sprinkle lemon juice over the ribs.
4. Bake for one hour in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350 degrees.
5. Pour off ALL the fat and juice that has accumulated.
6. In the meantime, make the sauce.
7. To make the sauce, combine the last five ingredients in a saucepan, and cook (boil) for 20-25 minutes. Stir frequently. You want the sauce to cook down and thicken up.
8. Dip cooked ribs into the sauce, and place in roasting pan. It's best if you make a single layer of ribs at this stage so, if necessary, use more than one pan.
9. Dip cooked onions into sauce, and scatter over ribs.
10. At this stage, you can refrigerate the concoction (covered with cling wrap) for a day or two -- so the flavours can really meld.
11. Cook ribs a second time—for 30-60 minutes—in an oven that has been pre-heated to 325°F If you have refrigerated the concoction, take out of the fridge at least two hours before the second cooking. Thanks to Heystopthatnow for alerting me to the fact that I had omitted a cooking time for this step.
12. Before the second cooking, baste the ribs. Then baste them again every 10 minutes. You want the ribs to be saucy.
13. Serve with corn cobs, baked potatoes and salad. Garlic bread is nice, too.

Reviews

[Kathleen L.]

I can't give stars because I use Leggy Peggys' method for both beef and pork ribs but I cheat and mix up my sauce from bottled ingredients! They always turn out GREAT! Thank you Peggy!

 

[Aurum Phoenix]

A good and easy recipe to follow for great ribs. The sauce is good, though I felt the Worcestershire was a little overpowering and the sugar not present enough when mixed in the ratios that the recipe calls for. Next time I make the dish, I will use 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce and at least twice the sugar called for. These are all matters of my personal preference, of course. I would suggest cooking this dish longer than the recipe calls for if you want your ribs more tender. I cooked mine for 2 1/2 hours in a foil covered pan with a little stock to steam the ribs. Also, instead of dumping the drippings, I used them instead of the 2 cups of water to make the sauce. You can't let all that goodness go to waste. Good dish, will make again.

 

[Baby Kato]

Wowzer, was this good. We loved it all, from the tender succulent pork ribs to the out of this world amazing sauce that was sweet, tart and tangy. The onions added a nice layer of flavor to the saucy ribs. Thank you Peggy for sharing a recipe, that we will enjoy again and again.

 

[Stephanie S.]

I used this on some beef ribs I had and it was wonderful. they were tender and flavorful, my family inhaled them. I will use this recipe again, as the sauce was so good. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.

 

[Mom2Rose]

Aussie Swap #64: Peggy - OUTSTANDING!! I love the tang from the Worcestershire sauce - the right amount of sauce to cover the ribs - they were delicious!! Thank you!