Chris Berman's Baby Back, Back, Back, Ribs

I have made this recipe several times for family and friends, always to rave reviews. The meat is as tender as meat can be and not be in a stew. The sauce is simply spectacular.

I like to serve this recipe with Alton's Brown Baked Beans. If you have only 1 oven available, you have a small problem. Alton's bake beans call for an oven temperature of 250 degrees. Chris's ribs calls for an oven temperature of 350 degrees. I have a solution. I cooked the ribs with the beans at 250 degrees however I increased the cooking time from 3 to 4 hours. The ribs were just as juicy and tender as all the times I have made this before.

This recipe comes from my extremely manly "The NFL Family Cookbook". ESPN's Chris Berman's rib recipe is fairly tame. Here are some of the wilder recipes this cookbook offers:

Bud Grant's Pheasant and Wild Rice Casserole

Robert Kraft's Superbowl Chili (it serves a whopping 35 people, and calls for 10 lbs of meat!)

John Elway's Hamburger Soup

Manu Tuiasosopo's Kalua Pig Roast

Ty Detmer's Fried Venison Backstrap

Bud Grant's recipe actually calls out a bow and arrow in the ingredients list!

Seriously, this recipe is a home run. Make this for your next dinner party, and you will be a legend. The smells are wonderful, the presentation is spectacular, and the taste never disappoints.

Ingredients
6lbs baby back back pork ribs
2 cups water
SAUCE:
4 cups tomato ketchup (32 oz bottle)
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs. lemon juice
3 Tbs. rum
3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs. liquid hickory flavoring
2 tsp. Louisiana pepper sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut the rib slabs in half, leaving 6-8 ribs per section. In a large roasting pan, arrange the ribs evenly, then add the water. Cover pan tightly with a lid or foil to prevent steam from escaping. Bake for 3 hours.
3. About 2 hours into baking time, make the sauce. In a large saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients. Simmer over low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Prepare the coals or gas grill of the barbecue. Remove the ribs from the roasting pan. Discard the water.
5. Cover the ribs with sauce, saving about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce for later use at the table. Grill the ribs on the barbecue for about 5 minutes per side, or until slightly charred. Serve with the reserved sauce.