It's not often one finds large pieces of meat where I live in Japan. While it is possible, it often involves a long search, and the results are not always successful. Finding meat with bones attached is again, a difficult thing to find.Which is why, when recently we found during our weekly shopping trip (yes, we shop generally once a week, not every day, as we don't have the time to do so, and shopping every day can lead to spending more money than you have to) racks of pork ribs again for sale (they were sold last year for a while, and then disappeared with no sign of returning).We quickly bought the ribs and froze them until this weekend. Having never cooked ribs when I lived in Canada, they quickly became one of those foods I suddenly craved because they are so hard to find here. Oh, I can usually find some ribs in the stores, and sometimes there is even a bone attached. But usually it is only one or two ribs in the package. That's like putting a small square of pizza in a box and letting people guess what eating a whole pizza is like.Because I've bought these ribs a couple of times in the past (when I've found them), I now have some experience cooking them. First, the membrane at the back of the ribs is pulled off. By doing this, the ribs will be easier to cut apart, and because the membrane is tough to chew, the ribs will be easier to eat.Next, I put a dry rub on the ribs. I had to do a bit of searching for recipes, but I finally found one that made a really good rub, and what's more, the same mixture could be used to create a BBQ sauce, which we've used not only with ribs, but with other cooking.The ribs cooked for a long time (3.5 hours) at low heat (250 F / 130 C) in the oven. When they were done, the house smelled wonderful and the ribs themselves were cooked and tender.Next, the ribs went on the grill where I had only a small amount of charcoal burning, with an added chunk of cherry wood for some smoke. The ribs stayed on the grill for about 20-25 minutes. Finally I added a bit of sauce to one side of the ribs and let that caramelize a bit for a few minutes. The ribs came inside for a final rest, and then were served.We had some oven roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary, and a simple coleslaw.Pictured is one of many ribs that were enjoyed tonight. Sadly, they're all gone now. Time to buy some more ribs.