The Christmas Menu - Baked Ribs

Baked Prime Pork Ribs

Baked Salmon

Hasselback Potatoes

Honey-baked Ham*(bought)

Spaghetti with Meatball Sauce*(sister)

Caesar's Salad*(elder daughter)

Tiramisu*(elder daughter)

Phew! It's finally over and done with!

I used to do the full menu myself, all single-handedly but for the past couple of years, I had been getting my sister and daughter to contribute something. So many Christmases meant so many years of baking and roasting! And I've aged and am no longer the 'superwoman' I once was! Gotta admit defeat! SIGH!

My Baked Ribs Recipe:

(I used 3 slabs of ribs which was slightly over 3 kg.)

I kg prime ribs or baby backs (score the meaty parts before marinating)

Marinade for 1 kg ribs:

3 cups of tomato sauce

1 cup BBQ sauce

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons Steak sauce

3 tablespoons lemon juice(depends on preferred tanginess)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1. Mix all the seasonings together.

2. Marinate the ribs overnight. You may cut into 2 or 3-rib pieces or use the whole slab.(I cut to fit into the pot)

3. Place ribs with marinade in a pot and enough water to cover ribs and bring to a boil.

4. Simmer for about one hour or more and test if meat is chewable but not too soft or it will fall off the bones. This keeps the meat moist and not dry after baking.

5. Remove ribs and continue to boil the marinade(at this stage, it is watery) till it thickens.

6. Arrange ribs in a foil-covered tray(for easy cleaning) and spoon thicken marinade over the ribs. Keep some for basting later. Cover tray with foil.

7. Bake in preheated oven 200 deg C for about 45 minutes, remove foil, baste with marinade and use grill function to grill for a slightly burnt effect. (Unfortunately my oven's grill function had to fail me on such an occasion and so I merely baked it on a higher level, closer to the top element. It wasn't that effective but nevertheless it tasted good.)

From the pot to the baking tray!

From the oven to the table! Finger-licking good!

p/s I will post the rest of the dishes later.