When I think of Labor Day I typically think of union demonstrations, spring and lily-of-the-valley macarons. Like most Europeans, I grew up celebrating May Day, a holiday that celebrates the anniversary of an American accomplishment (workers getting an 8 hour work day) and yet is not celebrated in the United States. At least, not on the right day 😉
Rather than celebrate Labor Day in May with the rest of us, Americans observe the federal holiday on the first Monday of September and it basically kicks off fall. Yes, yes, summer doesn’t officially end until September 22, but for many Americans, Labor Day marks the symbolic end of the summer season. The kids go back to school. Football reappears on television. The weather also starts to cool down, which means the occasions to barbecue will be fewer and fewer. Which might explains why the holiday is the 3rd most popular occasion to barbecue, with some 55% of the US population firing up their grills! Eager to participate in this tradition, my husband and I headed over to a friend’s place for some ribs. I will confess, this was probably only the third time in my entire life that I actually ate ribs so saying that these were the best ribs I ever ate doesn’t carry too much weight. Nonetheless, while I am far from a ribs connoisseur, I thought they were tasty enough to want to share the recipe.
Aaron’s (Should Be) Famous Ribs:
Ingredients
2 racks of pork ribs (spareribs or baby backs) cut into individual ribs
1 bottle of plain BBQ sauce (Safeway’s BBQ Sauce Original for example)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Jack Daniels
Start by boiling the individual ribs for about an hour. Once the ribs are tender, remove them from the water and pat them dry. Turn on your grill to medium heat while you prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together. Once all the ingredients have been mixed, heat in the microwave for 1 minute then mix again.
When the sauce is ready, place the individual ribs on the grill for 3-4 minutes on the first side, then flip and baste the cooked side with the sauce. Once all the ribs are basted, flip them and baste the other side. Since the ribs are already cooked from the boiling, you want to make sure that you do not leave them on the grill for too long or the sauce will burn. But you do want the sauce to caramelize a bit so you just have to watch over the ribs until they look ready. Finally, remove the ribs from the grill and enjoy!
Bon appétit!
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