The ghost of Labor Days’ past (and ribs!)

Warning: must be over 21 and under 30 to read this post!

Ribs

So a parent has relinquished control of the family lake house (Lord help them) to you and your college buddies for Labor Day weekend. Now what? Here’s a sample itinerary to help get the party started. Feel free to print and check off items as necessary. Let the games begin!

Friday 9 AM – Preparations need to be made. Liquor store. check. Grocery store. check. Gas station. check. Do you have the following: chips, salsa, chips, salsa. Oh wait, did I mention chips and salsa? Nah, I’m just kidding. Make sure somebody brings hamburger meat and buns, too.

Friday 3 PM - Head to Chimney Rock in the family pontoon. Grab a diaper and hit the water. No, not that kind of diaper, silly; one made out of a life jacket. Click here for an example. Now have someone throw you a beer, preferably Budlight in a can but a Miller will do. Don’t worry, it’ll float if you can’t catch.

Friday 5 PM – All that bobbing has probably made you hungry. Head back to dry land, but try to stay between the buoys and watch out for the ducks. If you see a group of guys huddling around a Weber, that’s a good sign. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Err, I mean burgers. Don’t forget to admire how cute the boys all look with their tongs and pokers. What can I say, I love a man who can grill (Hi Walter!).

Friday 7 PM – Get ready for some real fun. Pour a little Jack into that Coke and announce a game of charades. It’s a no fail way to have a good time. A little background music doesn’t hurt either (RIP Michael Jackson).

Friday 10 PM – If the PG activities aren’t cutting it (or your friends are to cooool for board games), then give ‘em a little David Byrne to really get the party started. You’ll thank me later. Just don’t turn into a psycho killer and burn down the house. Hee hee.

Friday Midnight - Whoopsy! Don’t fall down. Maybe you should find a couch to lay your head. Or better yet, a lounge chair, or perhaps a float. Just don’t wind up in the bathtub like last year. Not cool.

Saturday 12 PM – Uh oh. You don’t look too good. Need a hangover cure? Perhaps a little sweet tea (not the Firefly kind, you lush) and a Bojangles chicken biscuit to soothe your aching head. Works for me.

Saturday 12:01 PM – Look, it’s 12:01! Feel free to pour yourself a bloody.

Saturday 3 PM – Repeat.

Okay, okay. This exact experience may or may not have happened to me once or twice (I’ll never tell). That’s why its called The ghost of Labor Days’ past. Get it?

But just so you know, I’ve calmed down a bit since freshman/sophomore/ junior year. Now my idea of a good Labor Day is a beach cruise on Penny J. Shuttlesworth (the most beautiful bike in all the land) and couch time with Walt and Goose. Wild, I know.

And hey, along with this new found maturity is better grub. No chips and salsa here! Just some slow-roasted barbecue ribs, homemade potato salad, and baked beans to die for. Who knew growing up would taste this good?

OVEN-BAKED BARBECUE RIBS

3 – 4 pounds beef back ribs

For the marinade:

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onionpowder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp Paprika

Preheat oven to 260 degrees.

Place ribs in a large baking dish (break up if necessary). Combine all ingredients together to make marinade, mixing well. Brush over both sides of the ribs, cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Remove plastic wrap and cook ribs — meatiest side up — in oven for one hour. After one hour flip ribs and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the barbecue sauce (see recipe below).

After the 30 minutes, remove ribs from oven and apply barbecue sauce on the bony side. Flip ribs to meaty side up (do not sauce this side yet). Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook ribs for 15 more minutes. After 15 minutes, apply first layer of barbecue sauce to meaty side. Cook ribs for another 15 minutes and reapply sauce to meaty side. Cook another 15 minutes, then check internal temperature of ribs. If ribs are at 150 degrees or above, remove from oven. If not yet at 150 degrees, continue cooking until desired temperature is reached. (Total cook time average is 2 hours and 15 minutes). Sauce again, if desired. YIELDS: 4-5 servings.

For the barbecue sauce:

1/2 to 1 cup brown sugar, to taste
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste

Heat all ingredients in a medium sauce pan at medium-low heat, approximately 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Ribs 2