Planning your July Fourth spread? These barbecue ribs are spicy, tangy and not too sweet

This is one of my favorite ways to cook ribs — make a rub and sauce, and then let them be for three hours while they slow-cook into delicious tenderness. You can toss them on the grill at the end to crisp up the edges, but they're just as good straight out of the oven.

A BBQ-lovin' friend of mine says it's important to cook ribs until they finally give it up and say: "OK, I guess I'll go on and be tender now." The key to knowing if ribs are cooked properly is that the bone pulls out easily without the meat sliding completely off. I like my sauce on the spicier side with a nice tang and not too sweet. Feel free to add a bit more sugar if this is too tangy.

This recipe makes enough sauce for three slabs without extra for serving; double the sauce if you like saucy ribs. Look for New Mexico red chile powder in the spice section or the Hispanic section of your local market.

BBQ ribs

Recipe adapted from "A Mouthful of Stars," by Kim (Andrews McMeel Publishing)

3 slabs pork spare ribs or baby back ribs (about 9 pounds)

For dry rub:

1 1/2 ounces (about 1/3 cup) New Mexico red chile powder

3 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon fine grain sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne

For spicy tangy sauce:

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup Frank's RedHot sauce

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup ketchup

A few dashes Worcestershire sauce

3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

1 tablespoon cumin

2 tablespoons New Mexico red chile powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon fine grain sea salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Make the dry rub by combining all the ingredients together. Remove silver skin from ribs (use a knife point to cut into skin and a paper towel to grab the skin and remove). Line two sheet pans with aluminum foil.

Rub ribs on both sides evenly with the dry rub. Bake, uncovered, for two hours. Make the spicy tangy sauce by combining all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

After the ribs have cooked uncovered for two hours, brush them evenly on both sides with the sauce; wrap tightly in aluminum foil and bake another hour or until meat is tender and bone pulls easily out of the meat. Unwrap and either grill, if desired, or serve at once with more sauce on the side.

Kim Sunée is the bestselling author of "Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home" and "A Mouthful of Stars." For more food and travel, visit kimsunee.com and instagram/kimsunee.