Barbecue Ribs 

Last year, my sister started to smoke. She was angry and messy and her mental health was suffering. She would randomly laugh, leave staggering amounts of items sprawled on her bedroom floor and even drew on the wall of a rented apartment. In such a state, my mom had to go with her to college to provide moral support. Now only my dad was left to cook for us.

After spending multiple days on microwaved, precooked food. My dad was running out of options like a man running out of fish. He had to find a solution for sustainable home-cooked meals. He asked my mom and got a response that my grandma had ingredients for us.

Late into the night, my grandma took a bundle of frozen ribs and dumped them into the fridge, they were permafrost to thaw. In a few days the ribs will head for her grandchildren, hopefully they will be there for it.

The following day, she carefully placed the ribs on the counter. She rubbed reddish Cajun seasoning into the soft flesh until it was a cast over it. She did this at least an hour before my sole dad came to get it, to let the seasoning incorporate.

One day when I came back from school, my dad mentioned that he would cook ribs. Like a blanket on a baby, He laid foil on the glass container holding the ribs. The container was then sent to the oven’s middle rack, set at 255℉ for 4 hours. My dad had seen many ribs served slathered in barbecue sauce. Unable to find such a sauce, he had to make it himself. He found a Natasha’s kitchen video and mixed Heinz ketchup, worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and water. Then he added paprika, garlic cloves, brown sugar, onion powder and pepper. He was also meant to add mustard, but since we didn’t have it he replaced it with wasabi. This mixture was then brought to a boil on medium, and simmered for 30 minutes on low.

After the hours passed, my dad coated the convex outside of the ribs with barbecue sauce. Then, he put them back in the oven on broil option for 5 minutes. 

“What should we eat the ribs with?” He asked.

“Just eat them with rice,” responded my brother. 

When I took my first bite of the ribs, I immediately noticed how soft and tender it was. The juicy meat slipped off of the bone in between my hands. The charred barbecue sauce added a mild tang, smokiness, sweetness, and tart spiciness. A well complement to the savory flavor. The sauce dyed the rice orangish-brown. It was a simple, yet messy, meal that was the combined work of many to fill in the hole of one person.

Source of Barbecue Sauce Recipe:

Kravchuk, Natasha. “Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe.” Natasha’s Kitchen, 24 June 2022, 

natashaskitchen.com/bbq-sauce-recipe/.