Vintage “Cheaper by the Dozen” Spare Ribs
Vintage Charleston receipt by Mrs. Frank B. Gilbreth, JR
How to make oven roasted ribs
This Vintage Charleston recipe for “Cheaper by the Dozen Spare Ribs” came from my “Charleston Receipts” recipe book I bought last year on one of my many visits to this historic destination; Charleston, South Carolina. I was inspired to make it for a little step back in time, and it turned out to be a most delicious meal. It uses very basic ingredients and easily and quickly comes together for a tasty family meal “on a budget.” This recipe was originally written by Mrs. Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr (Elizabeth Cauthen) and I’ve created step-by-step photo instructions in my own words. This recipe is for 6 servings.
Let’s begin!
Ingredients:
3-4 lbs. spareribs or meaty pork ribs
2 onions, sliced (I used yellow)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 cup catsup
3/4 cup water
(You can use beef or pork spareribs)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350℉ / 176℃.
Cut ribs into large serving size pieces and lay flat on side of a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Scatter sliced onions over top of meat.
Add remaining ingredients to a medium bowl and stir together to make a sauce.
Pour sauce evenly over top of meat, then cover loosely with foil and bake for about 1 1/2 hours. You will want to baste occasionally, turning spareribs over once or twice.
Remove foil the last 15 minutes to brown ribs. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Serve this fall-off-the-bone meat with your favorite sides, but I must insist one of them be mashed potatoes. Two reasons: they go wonderfully with ribs and also because the rib juices, when poured over the mashed potatoes, are AMAZING! 😋
You can easily prep this the day before or morning of, by slicing onions and preparing sauce ahead of time and storing both in the fridge until needed.
Charleston, South Carolina Travel Guide
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Read more about this beautiful historic destination with lots of southern charm in my Charleston travel guide. Suggestions on where to stay when visiting, my favorite restaurant recommendations, along with things to do and see. Read more by clicking HERE.
Enjoy!
💜Julie
"Cheaper by the Dozen" Spareribs
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ / 176℃.
- Cut ribs into large serving size pieces and lay flat on side of a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Scatter sliced onions over top of meat.
- Add remaining ingredients to a medium bowl and stir together to make a sauce.
- Pour sauce evenly over top of meat, then cover loosely with foil and bake for about 1 1/2 hours. You will want to baste occasionally, turning spareribs over once or twice. Remove foil the last 15 minutes to brown ribs.
- Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy with your favorite sides.
Notes
You can easily prep this the day before or morning of, by slicing onions and preparing sauce ahead of time and storing both in the fridge until needed.
