This past weekend, I bought several racks of ribs in anticipation of BBQ and smoking.   After all, few things beat slow-cooked smoked ribs.  Unfortunately, my glorious plans fell through and I was stuck with ribs but no plans.   Although people claim that they can make great oven ribs, I still find it hard to go head-to-head with smoked wood and charcoal.  Why settle for second best?   Instead, I decided to take this recipe in a completely different direction: the braised rib.

If you’ve ever had a bad rack of ribs, you know that overcooked or undercooked ribs are very tough to eat.  (If you’re at a friend’s BBQ, you’re probably telling the host how great the ribs are, but stealthily reaching for the hamburger or brisket.)  The reason for this toughness is that ribs are fatty and full of connective tissue – they’re designed for a slow cooking process.  Given enough time, the heat and moisture breaks down the collagen into something amazingly delicious.  Whenever I hear the phrase “so tender the meat falls off the bone, I think of well-cooked ribs.

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