For awhile now, I've been hearing about people baking ribs, wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, at very low temperatures. Through this method, various chefs and amateurs alike have said they have created some of the most amazingly tender ribs ever known. Now, I've seen these ribs prepared before, and they were indeed tender, but to me, baking meat that is wrapped in plastic wrap seems too risky. I prefer not to introduce toxins into my body when I can prevent it.

While researching this topic a bit online, I came across some information by people who worked in the plastic industry, and they all advised against using the plastic wrap method. Moreover, Saran Wrap's own site advises against using any of their plastic wraps in the oven. Their FAQs page listed the following:

Can Saran Plastic Wraps be used in the oven?

No, Saran Wraps are not for use in conventional ovens, browning units, toaster ovens, or on stovetops.

It seems to me that if S. C. Johnson and Son advise against that use of the product, we're better off taking their advice.

But what about those tender ribs? Is there a way to bake ribs just as tender without the danger of toxins leeching into our food? That's what I decided to find out this afternoon.

Here's the recipe I came up with. Try it yourself and you'll see that it's possible to make tender, juicy ribs that fall off the bone without the fear of melted plastic wrap and leeching toxins. With that, I give you Tender Ribs Without the Toxins.

Ingredients

Rack of beef or pork ribs, any quantity
Freshly ground black pepper
Rosemary
Thyme
Basil
Heavy duty aluminum foil, or a double thickness of standard aluminum foil

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

2) Lay out 1 sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil (or a double layer of standard foil) on a cookie sheet or baking tray with raised edges. The foil should be large enough that it could completely enclose the ribs. Use additional sheets if needed.

3) Press the ground pepper and herbs onto the meaty side of the rack of ribs, rubbing it in slightly. Then, position the ribs in the center of the prepared foil, bone-side up.

4) Rub a bit more of the ground pepper and herbs onto the bone-side of the rack of ribs.

5) Then, fold the foil tightly around the rack of ribs. The foil should be folded as tightly as possible and should be as air-tight as possible.

6) Bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours. Then, remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Once it has cooled slightly, flip over the foil packet so the meaty side of the rack of ribs is facing up, and carefully cut open the foil packet.

7) The ribs can now be served as-is, or then can be coated with your favorite barbecue sauce, such as my Asian Fusion BBQ Sauce, and placed in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce begins to glaze.

Give those ribs a try and let me know what you think about these Tender Ribs Without the Toxins.
~Jenn

Tender Ribs Album