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Spareribs and Sauerkraut

4.1

(14)

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You just cannot do this one wrong. You don't have to drain the sauerkraut. You don't even brown the ribs; they brown without your help. The recipe was handed down to Camille MacKusick by her father-in-law, from the family archives. All sorts of magical juices ooze out of everything. When the last finger is licked and the last lip smacked, everyone will weep.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

8 country-style spareribs
1 1-pound can sauerkraut, drained
About one-half 18-ounce bottle barbecue sauce
No salt, no freshly ground black pepper!

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 300°F. Choose a baking pan that will accommmodate the ribs in pieces or all hitched together, with the kraut in the space left over. Eight country-style ribs cut into a 6-rib and a 2-rib hunk, plus the can of kraut, fit perfectly in a 9-by-13-inch pan. For more ribs, get a bigger pan and more kraut.

    Step 2

    Place the ribs in the pan and the sauerkraut in a mound beside them. Cover the ribs — not the kraut — with the barbecue sauce. Use as much as you like, maybe more than half the bottle, maybe less. Cover the pan tightly withaluminum foil and bake for 3 hours. Lift a corner of the foil near the end of the time to sneak a look. The ribs should be nicely browned and glazed and your mouth should water. Serve hot.

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