In honor of Valerie's forthcoming cookbook, she asked us to share another family recipe from the Bertinelli Test Kitchen, a.k.a. her baby brother Pat's backyard grill. So just in time for your Labor Day barbecueing festivities, we present to you: Pat and Stacy's Epic Rib Awesomeness.

My husband Pat and cousin Ross fancy themselves to be quite the grillmasters, and much debate has ensued around our house about the proper technique for preparing fall-off-the-bone pork ribs: Wet mop versus dry rub? Pre-sear then bake? Bake then post-sear? Typically these debates occur over a beer or two while watching a barbecue cook-off on the Food Network.

Through the scientific method (and untold slabs of experimental ribs), the boys believe they have discovered the secret to rib nirvana! Let us know what you think of these succulent lovelies at your next backyard barbecue. 

THE RIBS

Ingredients

• Nonstick grill spray
• Slab of pork ribs
• Barbecue Sauce No. 2 (below) - or any sauce of your choosing
• Dry rib rub

Tools

• Oven
• Grill (yes, you use both the oven and the grill)
• Tongs
• Big-assed grill spatula
• Aluminum foil
• Cookie sheets and more cookie sheets (or wash between usage - safety first!)
• Small Bowl
• Paintbrush or string mop for sauce application
• Platter

Directions

This is where I'm out of my element as Pat will not let me near an open flame, so you can cede the fire-making to the nearest man because they get all excited around grills. Spread a thin coating of dry rub on both sides of your ribs - massage them with love and let them rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes while you're preparing the cooking zone. 

Spread out your aluminum foil on the cookie sheets, enough to be able to double-wrap your ribs, and set aside. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees (or if you are fortunate to have a smoker, build a low fire).

Per the Pat and Ross Cooking Method: Build a very hot fire on your grill and sear the dry-rubbed ribs on both sides - about 5 minutes per side, look for a little charring to know they're seared. Remove the ribs to your aluminum foil, wrap them up in a nice aluminum pouch and place them in the oven for 2 hours, 45 minutes. Drink a beer. Watch some football. Dance around. If you're Ross, giggle with glee and anticipation. If you're Pat and Stacy, laugh at Ross.

After your 2-hour, 45-minute sojourn, fire up the grill again on a medium-low heat. Pour your sauce in a bowl and lubricate your paintbrush / string mop / sauce applicator. Pull the ribs from the oven and put them on clean, noncontaminated cookie sheets. Peel away and discard the aluminum foil.

Play Picasso with your sauce on one side of the ribs. Place the ribs on the grill - mopped side to the flame - in order to cook the sugars in your sauce, about 3-4 minutes. While cooking, mop the top side. Use your tongs and big-assed grill spatula to turn the ribs over (and be careful, they will likely be falling off the bone, dripping with sauciness). Re-mop the side you just cooked. You'll want to repeat this mop-and-flip dance at least two times per side, being careful not to burn the sauce - you just want to carmelize the sugars and grill in that goodness, so watch your heat.  This procedure may take up to 15 minutes, but it is so worth it. Shovel your ribs off the grill - again, they will likely be falling off the bone - and enjoy rib nirvana the Pat and Stacy (and Ross) way.

Now if you want to make your own sauce, we've included my recipe for Arizona-style Carolina mop-sauce as a lagniappe - please note that it's more of a tangy vinegar-based sauce with a kick than a sweet Texsa or Kansas City-style sauce.

MOMMA BEAR'S BARBECUE SAUCE No. 2

(Named thusly, because No. 1 was a disaster)

Tools

• Measuring cups and measuring spoons
• Knives and spoon
• Non-aluminum, small sauce pan (apparently aluminum reacts with the vinegar - bad)
• Cutting board
• Juicer and grater (optional)

Ingredients

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup orange juice (it's the juice of about 2 oranges, if you squeeze your own)

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed

• 2 habanero peppers, finely chopped, seeds and membranes removed first. (Don't panic - the heat cooks off)

• 2 teaspoons black pepper

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 /2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar

• a pinch of orange zest (and you can grate your own - but don't go overboard on the zest or it will taste like Chinese food)

Directions

First, don't panic. Yes, we are using habanero peppers and cayenne pepper, but you'll be fine as long as you remove the seeds and membranes from the habaneros, and you don't rub your eyes after chopping them up. The pain cooks off, I promise. Second, this is not a dipping sauce like a Texas or Kansas City barbecue sauce - it's our Arizona version of  a Carolina mop sauce. The idea is to carmelize the sugars in the sauce during the final grill-time - not to have something you can dip your french fries in later. This doesn't have molasses in it, either - the sweetness comes from the honey and sugars (and my first attempt at a molasses-based sauce was ... well, let's just say it tasted like sweet, melted plastic, which is why this is called Sauce No. 2). Finally, we opted for orange juice as an added acid because it's citrus season in the desert, and we happen to have fresh-off-the-tree oranges aplenty... and the acids in the citrus and vinegar help tenderize the meat.

That said, pop your small sauce pan on medium heat, add your liquids, then your not-so-liquids (honey, tomato paste), then your solids (habanero, brown sugar). Stir it up and let it mix in / melt together. Then add your spices and let that bad boy bubble and merge - step back the heat to medium low and keep it there for about a half-hour. You don't have to baby-sit it like a roux, but just keep an eye on it so it doesn't get too thick or crusty. You want the consistency of a gumbo or stew - somewhere between a true liquid and a runny ketchup. It should be able to drip thinly off the spoon as you're stirring.

When you taste it, you'll have an up-front vinegar-citrus note, followed by a sweet middle and a hot finish - and again, you're not going to dip your ribs into it when you're done, so don't get disappointed when it doesn't taste like it came out of a bottle. You just want to make sure there are no off-flavors. As with any cooking adventure in this house, I would let Pat and Ross taste it as I added ingredients. Invariably, Pat would say, "More heat!" and Ross would say, "More sweet!" And this is why Momma Bear's Barbecue Sauce No. 2 is just right: I didn't listen to either of them.

THE MEMPHIS DRY RUB

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons paprika (and while you're at it, make sure you ask Pat to pronounce this spice)
• 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper + a little extra if you're Pat

Tools

• Bowl
• Cookie sheet

Directions

Mix the spices all up in a bowl. Put each slab of ribs (one or two or however many) on your cookie sheet. Lightly massage (rub) your rub onto your slab of ribs. In their eagerness to achieve barbecue valhalla, the lads overdid the rub, creating more of a crust than a rub. Upon further review, Pat and Ross agreed that a light tickling of the rib bones with the rub is the way to go. You'll want to see the meat underneath... and more importantly have the rub bring out the natural meat flavors during the cooking process. Rub your ribs and put them in the refrigerator to rest from all the excitement. I believe this is what the young people call "rubbing one out."