These spicy sherried barbecue spareribs make great appetizers or nice informal meal when baked beans or another side dish is added. Barbecued ribs are good all year long.

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds of pork spareribs, trimmed of some fat
1/3 cup of dry sherry*
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed firm
1 medium lemon, thinly sliced
2 small onions, thinly sliced and separated
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup catsup
3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Additional hot sauce for table(optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place ribs in a baking pan and tope with onion and lemon slices. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Turn over after 45 minutes and continue cooking.

Mix remaining ingredients in sauce pan and cook over medium heat stirring until ingredients thicken and become a sauce. Remove ribs from oven and discard the lemon and onion slices. Allow ribs to cool until they can be held in hand. Cut the ribs into small 4 inch pieces.*

Drain fat from pan. Brush ribs with thickened sauce and continue baking for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Ribs will be fork tender when done. Bring remaining sauce to table.

Hint
*Use drinking sherry, do not use cooking sherry. You can also use 1/2 can of ginger ale instead of sherry.
*You can ask your butcher cut spareribs into 4 inch pieces.

Makes about 2 dozen appetizers or serves 6 to 8 with baked beans, etc. The ideal drink for this appetizer is lemonade or beer.

Here's an idea:
These sherried oven-barbecued spareribs lend themselves nicely with any number of side dishes. The cookbook Best American Side Dishes (Best Recipe) has a number of familiar and some not so familiar side dishes. Available from Amazon.com and other book stores.