My husband's friend showed up to a BBQ years ago with a pan full of these ribs...and we DESTROYED them! They were SO good! Thankfully I was able to get the recipe from him - and it's SO easy! It does take some time since the ribs are cooked low and slow in the oven but the results are well worth the wait!

I will admit, I don't have a homemade BBQ sauce recipe. It's just not something I use that often. If you do, I'd love to hear it! Otherwise, be careful when purchasing store-brought BBQ sauce. Try to find one that doesn't have sugar as the very first ingredient. And make sure it doesn't have a long list of extra ingredients you can't identify...it should basically consist of some combination of tomato, vinegar, sugar and spices. The guava jelly - well - it's jelly. There's plenty of sugar in there and no great way around it. It's easy enough to find in the "international foods" section of most major grocery stores.

When selecting meat, I try to find the best quality possible and look for organic and humanely raised. That's just my personal preference since we really only eat meat on special occasions in my house. So I don't mind spending the extra money here and there. And since these are for the 4th - it's all part of BBQ budget anyway!

Happy 4th of July everyone!
Buon Appetito!

Guava Ribs
Serves 6

6 lbs pork ribs
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper
1/2 C. apple cider vinegar
1/2 C. water
1 15 oz. container BBQ
1 15oz. container guava jelly

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Season the ribs generously on both sides with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper (for a more mild flavor, use less cayenne. Wanna spice things up? Go to town!).

Place the ribs in a roasting pan. Pour water and apple cider vinegar around the ribs. Seal tightly with foil and bake for 3 hours.

Remove the ribs from the oven and the pan. Set aside on a plate. Pour the pan drippings into a saucepan. Add BBQ and guava jelly. Heat over medium-high heat until simmering. Cook for about 15 minutes until the liquid reduces by 1/3.

Place the ribs back in the roasting pan and pour the guava BBQ sauce over them. Place back in the oven, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Serve hot with your favorite BBQ sides!
Try my Red, White & Blue Potato Salad
and my Fruit Tart for dessert!