First thing you need is to get quality ribs.  I like to see Brian Weaver at the West Shore Farmer’s Market, but you can shop for great ribs at a number of places. 

Wash the ribs in cool water and pat dry with paper towels.  Then you want to dry rub the ribs.  Yes you can make your own dry rub or buy any number of these on the shelves but the secret to world famous ribs is the rub!  I recommend Butt Rub brand.

Preheat oven to 500, place a half cup of water in metal pan, add ribs to pans (don’t stack more than 2 layers high) and cover pan tightly with foil.  With oven at 500 degrees add the ribs for 30 minutes and then lower temperature to 250 degrees.  Continue to cook ribs for two more hours on this low heat.

Take the ribs out and add your favorite wet sauce.  We like Jack Daniel’s spicy version.  Cover and place ribs back in oven for one more hour then serve with plenty of paper towels and place a bowl on the table for the bones!

Alice Mackenzie Swaim's poetry is universal, timeless, extraordinary.

Born in Scotland of intellectual parents, she lived a life, according to her husband's words, in "a cultural environment extraordinaire . . . traveling in Europe . . . studying the cities, cathedrals and museums." At age l7, the family emigrated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Alice's father preached at the Western Theological Seminary and later at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Read more: Alice Mackenzie Swaim's poetry is universal, timeless, extraordinary