Gonna sauce you up and work you like a rib ... (what's that from?!)

Like Jerry Seinfeld and coffee, I've always preferred getting my barbecued spare ribs on the outside. I picked up some St. Louis-style spare ribs (cut into three "sets" o' ribs) at my favorite local grocery store on Friday, and I spent about three hours cooking 'em this evening. They were so damn good ... I've been inspired me to try cooking spare ribs at home more often. Here's how I did it:

I have two grills. One is a charcoal grill on which I cook nothing but beef and pork steaks. My other grill is an in-ground gas grill that's hooked into my natural gas line. It preheats faster than an oven; thus, its great for cooking things like hamburgers, chicken breasts, brats and Italian sausages. I decided to cook my St. Louis ribs on the gas grill 'cause I figured I could regulate the heat better. What a great decision I made.

When I started my grill, I only lit one half; and instead of allowing the lit side to preheat on high, as suggested by the manufacturer, I let it heat for about 25 minutes with the heat dial sitting on 1.5 (outta 5).

Meanwhile, I let my ribs warm to room temperature. I rubbed 'em with a mixture of paprika, onion powder, garlic salt, and course-ground black pepper. The ribs rested for another 10-15 minutes, and then they were ready for the grill.

I put my ribs on grill, and not on the side that was heated. They cooked for about 45 minutes before I disturbed 'em. I rubbed both sides of my ribs with liberal dollops of Stubb's Moppin' Sauce, and I closed the lid. When another 45 minutes had passed, I repeated the Moppin' Sauce-moppin' and I closed the lid again. I let the ribs cook for another hour, and I removed them to a shallow baking dish.

While Stubb's Moppin' Sauce is very flavorful, it's also very thin ('cause it's mostly vinegar). I knew my ribs would require a think 'n' hearty sauce prior to serving. I mixed a half-cup of Howton Farm's BBQ sauce with a half-cup of Hunt's ketchup, and I poured it over my ribs -- turning and turning them to make sure every square inch was covered. I put foil over the baking dish and then waited 15 minutes before serving, er, devouring.

My ribs were so tender, the meat was literally following off the bone. And my sauce concoction was damn good, too. You know, if I didn't have any scruples 'bout me, I'd get a lot of Howton Farm's and a lot of Hunt's and market the mixture under the Joltin' Django name.

I'll never be afraid to try spare ribs, baby back ribs, or any other type of rib that needs to be slow-cooked outdoors again. I'm already looking forward to my next rib-grillin' experience. Promise to bring enough beer and you can join me ...!