You Don't Wear White After Labor Day...

... and you don't celebrate a holiday in the South without barbecue.

Some of my fondest memories have been made around a grill. My daughter's birthday is in February. To be more specific, Groundhog Day. More times than not, it's a very cold day. When we lived in Alaska, we celebrated her birthday each year with a cookout. Yes, a cookout. In Alaska. In February. In the snow! I guess you can take the girl out of the South, but, you never really take the South out of the girl!

However, unless you have a smoker and an extra day just laying around (when you figure out how to do that, please, let me know), you can't get REAL barbecue. REAL barbecue takes time and, quite honestly, years of training at the hands of someone older and wiser than yourself!

*In deference to all the barbecue purists out there, I must concede that this is NOT real barbecue, nor am I trying to pass it off as such. I have no smoker, no extra day, and I am not a Pit Master.*

That being said, I almost feel guilty sharing this recipe. Almost.

Spareribs on the Grill

One 2 1/2 pound rack of spareribs

1/2 lemon, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced

2 cups water

1/2 Tablespoon  Hickory Liquid Smoke

Put all above ingredients in a 13x9x2" baking pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place pan in a preheated 250 degree oven for 1 hour. At the end of the first hour, turn oven down to 225 degrees and cook for 1 more hour. Cool completely.

When ready to grill ribs, preheat grill. (I preheat mine on HIGH and then turn it down to LOW)

Add the ribs to the grill, and start basting with the barbecue sauce of your choice, allowing the sugars in the sauce to caramelize a bit. Turn and repeat until you have the desired "crust" of your liking. This usually takes about 20 minutes, but will depend on how hot your grill is. When ready, remove and enjoy!