Barbecued Country-Style Pork Ribs

(Let it be known that I realize these don't look good in the photo. They are amazing, though.)

4-5 pounds country-style pork loin ribs

6 cups water

2 cans beef broth

2 bay leaves

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce

1. Place ribs in an 8-qt stockpot. Add water, broth, bay leaves and pressed garlic. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 75 minutes, or until pork is tender. Remove ribs from stockpot with heavy-duty tongs.
2. Heat grill to meadium heat. Place ribs on grid of grill. Brush with barbecue sauce. Grill, uncovered, 10-12 minutes or until well-glazed, brushing and turning frequently. Serve with additional heated barbecue sauce, if desired.

Recipe from Casual Cooking by The Pampered Chef

CHANGES I MADE:

• I didn't have bay leaves or garlic, so I substituted dried grated orange peel. It's becoming a common substitution. It worked.
• I didn't use the specific type of pork loin ribs the recipe called for. I used regular spareribs because they were on sale for 97 cents a pound. I can't imagine that a different cut of meat could possibly have been better.
• The recipe called for homemade barbecue sauce (using a provided recipe), but I used Sweet Baby Ray's. Why would I make my own when Sweet Baby Ray already makes the best?

THINGS I LEARNED:

• If you do it right, barbecue ribs on the grill are not only amazing, but easy to do. Sure, they're messy, but wow, what a difference doing it yourself makes. Mmmmm...
• Side dishes were really, truly optional. The meat was so amazing that we didn't really even want side dishes. Next time I'll make corn on the cob instead of pasta as a side. Then we won't overdo it on the meat intake!

OVERALL OPINIONS:

Bill: He ate half the rack and wouldn't have eaten any sides if I hadn't insisted. He barely talked throughout the meal.

Emma: Asked for more meat three times. She loved it. She even wanted to try it on the bone instead of having us pull it off for her.

Georgia: She ate three helpings. Need I say more?

Me: Loved, loved, LOVED them. Wonderful. The best barbecued ribs I believe I have ever had, and I have had a LOT of BBQ ribs in my life because I love them. I have never made them myself because they always intimidated me. That particular intimidation, however, has been beaten into the recesses of my culinary repertoire. Bill is on the way back to the grocery as we speak to buy two more racks while they are still on sale. We'll freeze them to make this recipe again -- twice -- this summer. Oh, so very good.