Smoky Date Beef Ribs (Danielle Sucher)

Ingredients

4 lbs beef spare ribs or 6 lbs beef short ribs (if they’re very fatty, get even more)
3/8 C date molasses
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp ground ginger
3/8 tsp mesquite smoke powder (this is silly but really tasty)
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Beef stock to taste (optional)

Mix together everything except the ribs and stock in a bowl – this will be used as both marinade and sauce later on.
Remove 1/3 of the marinade to another bowl, and thin it with beef stock to taste, then set it aside. This will be the sauce.
Rub the rest of the marinade all over the ribs. If you are patient, let them sit in it in the fridge overnight. If not, just go ahead and roast them right away.
Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Set up a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Wrap the marinade-covered ribs with more aluminum foil in a nice tight package, then roast them until tender and done. Spare ribs take about 2 hours, while short ribs take closer to 2-3 hours.

This is particularly nice if you pull the meat off the bone and mix into the sauce (like pulled pork) before serving.