Oven Roasted Beef Ribs

During the winter months, an oven is actually an excellent substitute for a smoker. While the meat does not get infused with wood smoke, roasting still yields a delicious, tender, meat-falling-off-the-bone experience. And a good rub will more than make up for the wood smoke.

I've been cooking baby back ribs in my oven for ages, to the delight of everyone that has tasted them: http://terrygruggen.blogspot.com/2011/03/oven-roasted-baby-back-ribs.html. I recently stumbled across this Jenny Jones recipe for oven roasted beef ribs. While her recipe called for a generic rub, I substituted what I think is the greatest beef dry rub of all-time....Lone Star Rub created by Jamie Purviance.

It's a rub I use for grilling ribeye steaks....and it is every bit as good on these beef ribs. When you get to the end of the recipe, you have several options. Jenny suggests you coat the ribs with a great BBQ sauce (oh how I love Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce) and then broil the ribs for a few minutes. I, however, prefer my ribs non-sauced because the dry rub is so outstanding. So I just serve Sweet Baby Ray's on the side and let my fellow diners choose to sauce or not sauce.


INGREDIENTS

For the Lone Star Rub
4 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons chili powder
3 teaspoons granulated onion
1-1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Ribs
2 pounds beef ribs
Juice of one lemon


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 275° F.
2. Rub ribs all over with lemon juice.
3. Coat ribs with dry rub. Place meaty side down on foil and cover entire rack tightly, shiny side out. Put foil-wrapped ribs on a sheet pan, meat side down.
4. Bake in the oven for 3-1/2 hours.
5. Remove from oven and pour off liquid.
6. Turn oven to BROIL and place rack 4 to 5 inches from broiler. (If you want your ribs sauced, coat ribs with BBQ sauce now.)
7. Place ribs on oven rack, uncovered and broil for 5 minutes, meaty side up.
8. Cut into individual ribs and serve.

Wine pairing: Zinfandel

Grogs and Goldie, 1956

Happy Birthday to Todd Marella!