This weekend was fun. I hope yours was good too. Not only did I manage to post an interesting article about the health benefits of herbs and spices that you may already have on hand. But not only that, I had a picnic by the lake. With the possibility of the weather getting autumn-y any time now, we need to get all the good weather grilling in that we can right?

So we had a lovely picnic, with Ribs and Salad. The dressing for the salad was Ruby’s Balsamic Vinaigrette, it was delicious.

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Using a sharp knife, score the membrane on the backside of the ribs in a diamond pattern. Season the ribs with BBQ spice, pressing the seasoning into the meat.
   
2. Spread the onions and garlic in a roasting pan and lay the ribs, meat side down, on top.Stir together the root beer and root beer essence; pour over the ribs. Cover tightly with a lid or tin foil. (I had to make sure I had enough places to roast my ribs before puting in the onions and garlic.)
3. Braise for 2 to 2½ hours, or until the meat is tender. Let cool slightly. Or you can cool, and refrigerate for use within the next 2 days.
4. Meanwhile, make the sauce.Whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, root beer, cilantro, water, worcestershire sauce and salt. Unfortunately, my photographer was very distracted at this point, so let’s skip ahead to the picnic and grilling and eating.
5. Grease the grids with oil on a rag, then preheat the grill to medium-high.Grill ribs for 6 to 8 minutes per side or until lightly charred, basting frequently with sauce.
   (I had some chicken that needed using, I basted it with Grill-Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce for later use.) When the ribs are heated and charred, serve to your hungry guests.

What a lovely picnic. Good conversation, great guests – furry and bipeds alike, and amazing food once again. We had the lake as a backdrop and the place was tucked away on a seldom used street. It was really fun, though next time I think I will plan it a little better and have more food, people and entertainment. Or perhaps a romantic picnic for two. Who knows…

Happy Grilling!