Featured Wine

Grilled BBQ Ribs

One rack of pork ribs

Olive oil

Spices of your choice, suggested: salt, cracked pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, or a spice blend (this                     used GrillMates Maple Bourbon)

BBQ sauce of your choice (we used Private Selections Coffee Infused)

The biggest issue with ribs is the prep work. Make sure to take the silverskin off the back of the pork. You can do this using a spoon, or cut a little piece on the end, take a paper towel and use it to grip the piece while ripping up. Once the silver skin is gone, pat the ribs dry with a towel. Drizzle with olive oil and rub into the meat. As well as helping to keep the meat moist, it gives a good layer for the spices to hold onto. I love strong flavors so i coated it in the spice mix.

While you're prepping the ribs, get the charcoal started so it's at a steady temp. Most grills have the gauge and we kept that needle right in the middle of ideal. If you use a propane grill (NNNOOOOOO), heat it on high, but drop it to low when you put the ribs on. Shut the lid and leave it for roughly an hour. For charcoal i put the ribs on the bottom rack to get get a little blackening (personal preference), but once both sides got a bit of color, i moved the ribs to the top rack and closed the lid for about half an hour. Once the ribs are about to the doneness wanted, slather with the bbq sauce and let it heat through. If people are picky about the sauces, omit it completely and serve warm bowls at the table for those that want to add to their taste.

*Grilled veggies and cold salads, like the ones pictured, make excellent sides. The squash and zucchini were marinated in Italian dressing before being put in a grill pan.