Years ago, in one of his famous cooking classes, James Beard showed us this simple, "can't fail" method for roasting spareribs. He predicted that this recipe would become an all-time favorite, and he was right. These ribs have the rich flavor of pork, which you can really taste, and they are also very tender and moist. Who needs all that BBQ sauce? If you can, get baby back ribs — they're best — but any pork spareribs will do.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

　　4 pounds meaty pork spareribs

　　2 tablespoons salt

　　1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F.

　　

Preparing and Roasting the Ribs

Step 2

Rub the ribs with salt and pepper on both sides.

　　

Step 3

Set a roasting or broiler rack in a roasting pan. Arrange the ribs on the rack, meaty side facing up.

　　

Step 4

Put the pan on the center rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, turn the ribs over, and cook for another 30 minutes.

　　

Step 5

When the second 30 minutes are up, the ribs should be nicely browned and fairly crisp on the outside. If not, roast for another 10 minutes and check again.

　　

Cutting and Serving the Ribs

Step 6

When you are serving the ribs, cut the rack into separate racks of 3 or 4 ribs per person and place on a platter or plates. Serve hot.

　　Learning to Cook with Marion CunninghamRandom House