BBQ Ribs with Potato Salad and Cornbread

Ingredients

• 2½ lb pork spare ribs
• 1½ cup BBQ sauce
• 2 lb yellow potatoes
• 2 celery stalks
• ½ red onion
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh dill (optional)
• 1 cup cornmeal
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ½ tsp black pepper

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Remove membrane from the back of the ribs. Season ribs with salt and pepper, then place on a baking sheet, cover tightly with foil, and bake for 2-2.5 hours until tender.
2. While ribs bake, prepare the potato salad: Boil potatoes until fork-tender, then drain and let cool slightly. Dice potatoes, celery, and red onion.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add diced potatoes, celery, and red onion, and fresh dill if using. Mix gently to combine and refrigerate.
4. For the cornbread, preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan. In a bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk milk, egg, and oil. Combine wet and dry ingredients just until moistened, then pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
5. Once ribs are tender, remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) or preheat grill to medium-high heat. Brush ribs generously with BBQ sauce.
6. Return ribs to the oven (uncovered) for 20-30 minutes, or grill for 10-15 minutes, flipping and basting with more sauce every few minutes, until sauce is caramelized and sticky.
7. Let ribs rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve hot with chilled potato salad and warm cornbread.