Our Table: Time-Tested Recipes, Memorable Meals by Renee Muller 

 (Mesorah Publications Ltd., 2016, $34.99)

A friend once called me asking for a meat recipe. “It has to be amazingly good and incredibly easy,” she said. “I’m kidding,” she then added, but I knew she really wasn’t. And I had just the thing. Whenever I meet her husband, he makes sure to thank me, AGAIN, for “those awesome ribs.” Where does it say that great dishes have to be long, hard and complicated?

• About 8 (one-inch thick) spare ribs, nicely marbled
• 2 1/2 cups duck sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 tbsp. dried onion flakes
• 1 tbsp. salt
• Black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit. In a baking pan, arrange ribs in one layer. In a medium bowl, combine duck sauce, water, teriyaki sauce, garlic, paprika, onion flakes, salt and pepper. Pour over ribs. Cover tightly with foil; bake for 3 hours.

Let ribs cool; then refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 375-degrees Fahrenheit (use the “roast” setting, if available). Remove congealed fat layer from the ribs. Roast, uncovered, spooning sauce over the ribs once or twice, until ribs are braised and glistening, about 20 minutes.

Note: I like to cool the ribs in the middle of the cooking process so I can remove the fat layer, but it’s not a necessity. You can raise oven temperature, uncover meat, and proceed with the braising part immediately after the 3-hour slow roasting.

Mraz Brewing Company’s Window of Opportunity Belgian-Style Tripel

Mraz is a small, award-winning brewery doing big things in El Dorado Hills. They’ve put themselves on Northern California’s craft beer map, thanks to their fabulous sours and Belgian-style beers. Window of Opportunity—a gold medal winner at the 2014 California State Fair Commercial Craft Brew Competition—is one of the best Belgian ales I’ve had and falls in the middle of being a Belgian golden and tripel. The first taste is a little malty with some spice notes, and the finish is slightly sweet. With a beautiful clean and dry finish, you would never know it was a higher-alcohol beer (8.5-percent ABV). It has all the qualities of a classic Belgian ale—making it hard to believe it was brewed right here in California—and is a perfect pairing to this month’s Sweet and Tangy Spare Ribs.

—Eden Tuscano, 36 Handles Restaurant & Pub