Shanghainese Baby Back Ribs

My mother sent me back with this gigantic rack of baby back ribs — see why I like going back home so much? Haha :) I decided to be inventive and created a unique bbq sauce made from “Jiu Nian” or Fermented Rice. It turned out to be FINGER-LICKIN good delicious! I did a dry rub first and then simply “braised” them in the oven, then finishing cooking by generously covering the ribs in my yummy bbq sauce and baking at a high heat so the sauce can caramelize. I think good ribs are succulent, messy and fall off the bone tender, which is exactly what this recipe entails. Forget forks and knives kiddos, these ribs are best when you dig in with your hands and lick off all the saucy goodness afterwards!I also added some grilled pineapples as a “side” and it went together beautifully. Does anyone else think that food tastes better when you eat it with your hands? Because I sure do :) Licking off the sweet and spicy sauce that covered my fingers (and probably a good portion of my face) made these ribs all the better. I invited my good friend Eric to share this meal with us and all three of us were happily stuffed, without a rib to spare. Granted, Collin was a little unhappy about not having any leftovers, I took it as a sign of success! My honey definitely has a strong affinity towards ribs, I am not sure how it developed but it is intense to say the least. He has woken up from a deep slumber before because he heard me asking friends ” Would anyone like any leftover ribs?”, immediately he appeared in the room and in a deep thunderous voice exclaimed “WHY ARE YOU GIVING AWAY MY RIBS????” — I definitely made sure not to make that mistake again…I would also like to dedicate this post to the stranger who performed a random act of kindness for me and my friend today. She unfortunately had a flat tire, and GRANTED we did get a KILLER deal on some used tires — collectively we had NO idea as to how to change a flat (I got a splinter lodged into my thumb just by picking up the stupid tire). I honestly hope my dad never reads this post, because he’s taught me several times just in case it ever comes in handy…like today. I guess cars to women is like women to men — it is just something we will never come to understand, or try to. BUT, thankfully a nice Hispanic guy who was driving by stopped and offered to give us a hand. It was probably due to the fact that both my friend and I looked completely helpless and confused, but that is besides the point. I am just thankful to know that people are nice enough to stop and lend a helping hand, his kind gesture really made my day. I guess it inspired me to be more helpful throughout my day, a simple act of kindness always goes a long way and many times I find it to be contagious :) So thank you stranger, for your kindness and consideration — without your help we’d probably still be stuck out there figuring out how to unscrew this bolt thingy using the tire handle thingy.