Who is that tall, charming, handsome devil?  My son, David and his lovely new wife, Cheryl enjoying their honeymoon skiing the Alps.  Today as he celebrates his birthday, I know Dave is contemplating what a wonderful year this has been for all of us as we welcome his delightful bride into the family!

Dave began this very auspicious year by wedding the love of his life in a beautiful ceremony on Isla Mujeres in the Caribbean.  We all enjoyed a great time with family and friends and dined daily on delicious Mexican fare.  The happy couple then flew out to Colorado to welcome their very first niece into the family.  Then it was on to St Anton to honeymoon on the ski slopes of the Alps where they enjoyed classic European dishes..   Wow…what a year!  My son…I wish for you great love and joy everyday of your life!  I celebrate this special day…this special year, with you!

Now that he’s settling into married life and spending more evenings at home, I notice that Dave is developing his culinary talents by specializing in his favorite foods.  From time to time, the weekends find him dominating their tiny Manhattan kitchen to create his delectable “Dave’s 6 Pack Ribs”…fall-off-the-bone tender, melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

When Dave first decided to try making his own BBQ ribs he was so cute, calling to inquire about an ingredient or consult with me about his shopping list while browsing the grocery aisles. Now he’s rightfully proud of his creation and closely guards his recipe and techniques.  Consider yourself privileged that he’s graciously shared this particular favorite and even agreed to photograph his preparation for illustration:

DAVE’S 6 PACK RIBS

Ingredients:

Chill a 6 pack of your favorite beer

Dry Rub                              Moppin’ Sauce                              BBQ Sauce

• 1 Tbl onion powder         2/3 c apple cider vinegar              1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tsp grd blk pepper        1/2 c vegetable oil                         4-5 jalapenos,chopped
• 3 Tbl paprika                   1/3 c worcestershire sauce          5 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 Tbl mustard powder    1/2 tsp Melinda’s XXX Hot Sauce  1 cup ketchup
•                                         1 Tbl chili powder                          1 cup water
•                                         1 tsp mustard powder                   1 bottle of fav beer
•                                         1 tsp garlic powder                        1/3 c worcestershire
•                                         1 Tbl paprika                                  1/3 c apple cider vinegar
•                                                                                                1 tsp mustard powder
•                                                                                                 1 tsp chili powder
•                                                                                                 1 tsp cumin powder

Mix all the dry rub ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.  Open two bottles of beer and hand one to your wife while you sip the other, as this is thirsty work.

Cut rack in half and massage dry rub all over both sides of the ribs.  Let sit 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, get started on the BBQ sauce.  Add all ingredients into a medium pot and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Turn heat down to a slow simmer.  Continue to stir occasionally until reduced to desired consistency…usually 30-40 minutes when it’s nice and thick.

Now preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all the moppin’ sauce ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

Place the rub-coated ribs into a deep baking pan and pour half of the moppin’ sauce into the pan, adding an additional 1/2 cup of water or leftover beer:)

Seal tightly with foil and bake for 2-3 hours, checking periodically to ensure there is enough liquid in the pan (additional water if needed).  Baking the ribs in a closed, moist environment makes them very tender…the meat will literally fall off the bone.  Open an additional 2 bottles of beer and hand one to the wife, etc.

About 20-30 minutes before your ribs are done baking, light your grill and make sure the charcoal is on one side of the grill…we’ll call the other side, the ‘cool’ side.

When your ribs are done baking, remove them from the roasting pan directly onto the ‘cool” side of the grill.  Baste with the remaining moppin’ sauce.

Continue to turn and baste with the moppin’ sauce for another 45-60 minutes to develop a smoky flavor and crispy exterior.

During the final 10 minutes, baste with the BBQ sauce, until browned.

If you don’t have a grill or it’s snowing outside, cook ribs for total of 3 hours in the oven but place all the moppin’ sauce in the pan with the ribs in the beginning before sealing.

Serve the ribs with the remaining BBQ sauce and plenty of paper towels!  Now open the final 2 bottles of beer and etc, etc (you get the picture…hence the name).

Frankly, I think Dave showed great restraint in naming this dish only a “Six Pack”……..