Cooking disasters: tough ribs

Tonight's Menu

• oven-barbecued pork spareribs
  
• salad of tiny red potatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes
  
• leftover fruit salad
  

Oh, y'all. I am so disappointed in these ribs. I cooked them on a rack, tightly covered, at 200 degrees F for 3 hours before bumping them up to 400 for 30 minutes or so and slathering with sauce. Turns out I probably should have cooked them on the low heat for more like 5 hours, or else started them at 250 instead of 200. They were TOUGH. And unfortunately, being tough made it difficult to carve them even though I was using a wicked sharp knife. So I ended up with lots of oddly shaped "riblets". So disappointing! Maybe I can salvage them on the re-heat. They were tasty, despite being tough as old boots.

At least the salad was good. This is my favorite warm-weather salad that I made all the time last summer. Just quarter some little red-skinned potatoes, simmer until tender but still firm, drain and let cool. Then toss them in a bowl with a small jar of marinated artichoke hearts (don't drain them -- the marinade forms the dressing for the salad), some fresh mozzarella (the little balls packed in liquid), cherry tomatoes or tomato wedges, and a chiffonade of basil. Season with salt and cracked pepper to taste and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. Yum! This is perfect with any sort of grilled meat.