Oven-Baked Barbecue Baby Back Ribs

Over the holidays, I had a kick trying out a delicious recipe of oven-baked barbecue baby back ribs. This was one successful experiment since my daughters and I had a whale of a time munching on the bones like crazy. The secret is in the sauce, I must say, and one has to be patient with the long baking time (about 100 minutes). But the results are worth it, finger-lickin' ribs in due time. For an Oriental twist, I paired the dish with mantao or steamed white buns. Kain na! (let's eat!)

A special shoutout to Recipezaar for this recipe:

1. Prepare the following: 2 cups ketchup, 1 small onion (minced), 1 tbsp. minced garlic, four cups water, one cup vinegar, 2 tbsp. paprika, 1 tbsp. honey, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, 1/4 cup chili powder, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of black pepper.

2. Bring all these ingredients to a boil stirring occasionally (about 30 minutes.)

3. Let cool.

4. In the meantime, season ribs with salt and pepper and let it sit for 20 minutes before baking.

5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Place ribs in a greased baking sheet and begin baking for 30 minutes.

7. Brush ribs generously with the sauce and return to the oven, baking for 20 minutes more.

8. Remove from oven, brush again with the sauce and bake for another 20 minutes.

9. After 20 minutes, repeat the procedure and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until 100-minute baking time is achieved.

10. Arrange ribs in a serving platter, and pour with more sauce, if desired.