Maven's take on Alton Brown's Baby Back Ribs

I told you that I was going to make them. Just not in the oven. It’s the Fourth of July weekend, afterall. Otherwise, I followed his technique, and it’s great. Marinating them overnight ala A. Brown, this afternoon I got a heap of hot coals going the the BBQ.

The ribs went on with the corn.

By this stage - above - they were juicy and falling off the bone tender. All told, it took about 45 minutes.

Indoors, we baked some Tomales Bay oysters on the half shell, which just seemed to make a perfect match with the succulent ribs.

The oysters are super simple - once you get them shucked, that is. Leave the plump oysters, attached, in the deepest side of the shells on a baking tray. Mixed some bread crumbs with melted butter, olive oil, smashed garlic, onion powder, Old Bay seasoning, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and a few drops of worcestershire sauce. Blanch some spinach - or since I didn’t have any spinach, I grabbed some collards out of the garden and julienned and blanched those. Put a small bunch of blanched and drained greens on the oyster, then the bread crumb mixture. Bake in a 400 degree oven about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the oysters are firm and the bread crumbs are toasty on top.

Yum. Paired it with a mixed greens salad and of course, the grilled white corn. A nice crisp white wine on the side.

The oysters are from Whole Foods and were $1.00 each. They are super big and meaty, so you could easily get away with just one per person - unless you’re piggy about oysters like we are, then you’ll need two each.

Oh, and the BBQ sauce is excellent on the oysters, too! We’re saving and washing the deep shell halves as usual. Then when you find a jar on shucked oysters on special, just do it the same way - or mix it with a little crab meat.

Be creative.