With warmer weather now upon us and the summertime fast approaching, I'm already thinking of ways to spend more time outdoors. One fun and easy way to do that is to cook outside. Sipping on wine and communing with nature while grilling up something tasty is not a bad way to start an evening! This recipe for pork ribs is a wonderful one to use all year long since the ribs are first cooked completely in the oven and then quickly grilled. With that one last step you will be rewarded with smokey, seared-on-the-grill flavored ribs. This recipe is also perfect for entertaining since you can cook them the day before and simply grill them for a few minutes alongside other items right before serving. The chili cumin rub is great to keep on hand all year long for use on many types of meat as well as poultry and fish. Bon Appetit!

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon ground pepper

4 lbs baby back pork ribs

1 cup beer

Barbecue sauce

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Whisk chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl to blend.

3) Rinse ribs off under running water and pat dry. Rub spice mixture all over ribs then place them in a heavy large roasting pan. For deeper spice flavor, rub the ribs with the spice mixture one or two days before cooking and keep in the refrigerator.

4) Pour beer around ribs and cover pan tightly with foil.

5) Bake ribs until tender about 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove from oven. (Ribs may be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate)

6) Prepare barbecue grill to medium heat. Brush ribs with barbecue sauce and grill until heated through 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer ribs to a platter and brush with more barbecue sauce and serve. Grilling is optional but preferable!

Serves 4-6 people.

Many side dishes go well with pork ribs but here I served them with a savory blend of Israeli cous cous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans and red quinoa. The other side dish pictured was a saute of asparagus, mushrooms, onions, tomato and garlic. Other sug… — Many side dishes go well with pork ribs but here I served them with a savory blend of Israeli cous cous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans and red quinoa. The other side dish pictured was a saute of asparagus, mushrooms, onions, tomato and garlic. Other suggested side dishes would be cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, grilled zucchini, julienned carrot salad and corn bread or garlic bread.

BEVERAGE SUGGESTIONS:

Beer will always pair well with the spicy flavors of the chili rub but white wine and red wine can also be a fantastic choice. For whites, I would choose a lighter style, fresh and fruity Spanish albarino, godello or verdejo. For reds, I would chose a fruit-forward Spanish Ribera del Duero, a California zinfandel or even a Beaujolais cru. Or perhaps this is the time of year that you just want a classic, refreshing and invigorating cocktail such as a gin and tonic with plenty of lime….that would work too!