Barbecued Ribs with Beer

Mid-August. I had the retirement conversation with my supervisor — the formal one, the one where a date is set and paperwork is initiated and the machine that is the United States Postal Service begins the process of removing one of its thirty-seven-year cogs. My supervisor, a man named Frank who has been my boss for twelve years, said, "Earl, May 2020. You're sure?" I said, "I'm sure." He said, "The route won't be the same without you." I said, "The route will be fine. It was fine before me." He said, "It was fine. But it wasn't Big E."

I walked home from that meeting — not on the route, just through the streets of Orange Mound, the streets I've known for sixty years — and I felt lighter. Not happy exactly, but lighter, the way you feel when you put down a bag you've been carrying so long you forgot it was there. The bag is the uncertainty. The not-knowing. The retirement letters in the drawer, the conversations with Rosetta, the knee that keeps voting and the mind that keeps overruling. All of that is resolved now. May 15, 2020. The date is set. The bags are packed. The arrival is scheduled.

I made smoked chicken thighs for dinner — a simple cook, a midweek cook, the kind of cooking I'll do more of when the mornings belong to me instead of the route. I smoked them at 275 over hickory for three hours, and they were good, and the evening was warm, and the future felt manageable for the first time in years.

The smoked chicken thighs were good that night, but a week later when I told Rosetta the date was truly set — paperwork signed, May 15, 2020, no going back — she said that called for something bigger, something that took all day the way thirty-seven years takes all life. So I did ribs. Barbecued ribs with beer, low and slow, the kind of cook where the house fills up and the neighbors know before you even invite them. That’s the right food for putting down a bag you’ve been carrying a long time. That’s Orange Mound cooking. That’s what it felt like to finally be sure.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 min | Total Time: 2 hrs 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 lbs pork spareribs, cut into serving-size pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup barbecue sauce (your favorite Memphis-style)
3/4 cup beer (lager or amber ale)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

Season the ribs. Pat ribs dry with paper towels. Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika, then rub the mixture evenly over all sides of the ribs. Let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Sear for color. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy oven-safe pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the ribs 2–3 minutes per side until browned. Remove and set aside. Add the sliced onion to the pot and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes until softened.
Make the braising liquid. In a bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce, beer, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce if using. Pour the mixture over the onions in the pot and stir to combine.
Braise low and slow. Return the ribs to the pot, nestling them into the liquid. Cover tightly with a lid or foil. Bake in a preheated 325°F oven for 2 hours, turning the ribs once halfway through, until the meat is tender and pulling away from the bone.
Glaze and finish. Uncover the pot, increase oven temperature to 400°F, and brush the ribs generously with the pan sauce. Return to the oven uncovered for 20–25 minutes, basting once more, until the glaze is sticky and caramelized.
Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving. Spoon remaining sauce from the pot over the ribs at the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Barbecued Ribs with Beer — The Night the Date Was Finally Set