Ribs and potato salad (summer's last dance)

Recipes: Oven roasted BBQ ribs, Potato salad

A soul food treasure, BBQ ribs and potato salad are also a natural combination of tastes. At the end of summer, why not splurge on one last on-the-patio dinner? These ribs can be made all winter long, though, because they don't rely on an outdoor barbeque. They're done in the oven, slow and low. They. Are. The. Best. Ribs. Ever.

I've posted these recipes before, but they were buried along with other party recipes. Here they are in their full glory - a fabulous soulful dinner for the two of you.

Oven Roasted BBQ Ribs

• 2-3 pound of pork ribs or babyback ribs

For the Rub:

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon smoked salt (alderwood or cherrywood). You can get smoked salt at a spice shop or online)
• 1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
• 3/4 tablespoon garlic granules (not garlic salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red New Mexico pepper

Plus, for the finale

• 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce, make your own (recipe here), or your favorite bottled.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Mix together the ingredients for the rub. Peel off tough membrane that covers the bony side of the ribs by inserting a dinner knife or spoon under it and working it off with your fingertips. (This isn't necessary with babyback ribs.) Apply the rub to all surfaces of the ribs.

Cover a baking sheet with two layers of aluminum foil, shiny side out. lay the ribs on the foil meaty side down. Cover the ribs with two more layers of foil and crimp the edges tightly.

Roast for 2 to 2-1/2 hours, or until the meat starts to shrink away from the bones. Remove the ribs from the oven.

Heat the broiler to High.

Remove the top layers of foil. Cut the ribs into serving pieces (2 or 3 ribs per piece). Arrange them, bony side up, on the foil covered baking sheet and brush them with BBQ sauce. Slide under the broiler and broil for 2 minutes, or until the ribs darken a bit.

Turn the ribs over, brush on BBQ sauce, and repeat on the other side.

While the ribs are roasting, make the potato salad so that it can chill in the fridge for at least one hour.

Potato Salad

This potato salad recipe came from my friend Donna in Clearwater, Florida, and it is by far the best I've ever tasted.

• 4 medium red potatoes, cut in quarters and boiled or steamed until soft.
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced or diced
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• Mayonnaise to taste, about 3 tablespoons
• 1/2 tablespoon brown or Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon celery salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Let potatoes and eggs cool. Leave skin on red potatoes and cut them into bit-size pieces and put them in a medium sized serving bowl.

Sprinkle the potatoes with vinegar, then sugar. Stir.

Add chopped eggs and onions.

Add mayonnaise, mustard, celery salt, and ground pepper to taste.

Mix together, then put in the fridge to cool and blend the flavors. Yum!

Buon appetito! It's gonna be good!!