You don't have to be a barbecue pro to make these tender, flavorful finger foods

I'm all for authentic flavors. I make my own salad dressing. I bake pies and cakes from scratch. When I crave mac and cheese, it's real béchamel or nothing.

But when it comes to ribs and wings, I can't be bothered. Too intimidated to do it the real way -- slow-cooked on a grill, rubbed, mopped and rested to smoky-sweet perfection -- I satisfy a craving with a trip to a rib joint or wing place for takeout.

Recipes included with this story:

After all, real ribs involve things like brining, smoking and sitting around for hours next to a grill with a cold beer. Wings involve frying multiple batches in hot oil -- and all the mess and smell that comes with it. Some of it scares me, and none of it fits my definition of fun, except the cold beer part.

But recently someone let me in on a secret: Ribs and wings need not be cooked The Real Way to be downright delicious. In fact, there are acceptable alternatives that speed up the process, scale back the work and deliver these lip-smacking bony treats to your plate for a lot less than the price of takeout.

I tried it, and I'm a believer.

Do I think the cheater's versions would win a rib cook-off or a wing smackdown? Probably not. But I nominate them for the real cook's hall of fame.

We'll share the recipes, but first, a few tips.

If you're cooking ribs, I say don't mess around: go straight to pork, which are meatier than beef ribs, quicker to cook and not so large that you feel like a caveman eating them. Your choices are spareribs or baby-back ribs. Spareribs are cheaper, larger and meatier; baby-backs are smaller and, some say, more tender. But they're really just two pieces of the same slab of meat: baby-backs are cut from the top of the rib cage near the backbone; spareribs from the bottom. The only difference to keep in mind is that spareribs take longer to cook.

Ribs should be meaty all over. If you see what's called a shiner on the rack -- an exposed bone -- choose something better. Look for ribs that are fresh, not frozen, and avoid racks with dry edges or yellowish fat. Ribs sold in mainstream supermarkets typically are enhanced with a sodium solution. Check the label or ask your butcher, and if so, go lighter on the spice rub or the ribs may turn out too salty.

Pork ribs have a tough membrane on the bony side called silver skin. It won't hurt to eat it, but it's not very appealing to chew on. To remove it, slide a dinner knife between the membrane and the bone to loosen it until it tears. Then grab the edge with a paper towel and pull it off (sometimes it comes off in one piece).

Cooking them can be as involved or hands-off as you like. Brett Meisner, a salesperson for S.P. Wholesale Meats and a culinary school grad, typically devotes three days to cooking ribs, a day each for dry rub and wet brine, and a third day tending ribs in the smoker.

Is it delicious? Absolutely. Necessary? No way.

"They need to be cooked long enough to break down fibers of meat to fall off the bone," Meisner says. But that can happen with a few hours in the oven.

With a technique Meisner calls dry braising, you season the rack, throw it on a grill to sear, then transfer it to a low oven to cook, under a cloak of foil, for several hours. The ribs roast in their own juices until tender, then you slather on barbecue sauce (Meisner suggests Sweet Baby Ray's or a mixture of several bottled sauces) and cook them uncovered for 30 minutes. End of story; dinner is served.

FOODday editor Katherine Miller uses the same technique but makes it even simpler by skipping the searing step. Her baby-back ribs don't have the smokiness of grilled ribs, but they're easier to make and still flavorful and tender.

If you can't live without that smoky goodness, you can coat the ribs with a smoke-flavored spice rub, or put a few drops of liquid smoke in the pan when you cover them with foil. If you're still reading, note that liquid smoke is a natural product made from distilled wood smoke and water -- and one that chef and prolific barbecue writer Steven Raichlen recommends.

You also can cheat your way to delicious chicken wings, another roll-up-your sleeves finger food that's great for a casual dinner or party.

Wing pieces are available at most supermarkets, but look for whole wings. They're less expensive, and you can save the tips for making stock. Prepare the wings by halving them at the joint (kitchen shears work well for this, or you can ask the butcher to do it).

Conventional wisdom says wings must be fried to be authentic. True enough, but you also can grill them or bake them in a hot oven, where they turn out just fine, especially if you adopt Alton Brown's method of steaming them before roasting. This adds another step, but it also renders off some of the fat, which reduces smoking and splattering and makes the meat pleasantly crispy.

Sauce makes the wings, so we offer a couple of ideas, starting with a recipe based on Andy Ricker's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings at Pok Pok.

Ricker says he first tasted them at one of the Saigon street-side stands that sell beer by the jug or mug and snacks to go with it. "They were called fish sauce wings. I thought, how could that be bad? They were so simple but incredibly delicious." The wings are marinated in fish sauce -- the miracle liquid that's equal parts salty, sweet and umami. Then they're deep-fried and coated in caramelized fish sauce.

Though Pok Pok's wings, like Buffalo wings, are fried, you can bake, broil or grill them. Ricker says at home he also likes to grill them on a medium fire after marinating in lemon grass, salt, pepper, fish sauce and coconut milk. To prevent splatters, let the wings drain on a rack over a baking sheet for 20 minutes before cooking.

Regardless of whether you fry, broil or bake chicken wings, you should hold off on using a sweet glaze until after cooking. Sugary sauces tend to burn, which is the last thing you want to do to a perfectly good wing.

Wings any way you want them

Purists insist that chicken wings be fried, but you can cook them all kinds of ways. Add a marinade or a sauce, and they'll be the hit of your next party.

in foil-lined pan at 425 degrees on lowest oven rack for 20 to 25 minutes until crispy, turning once.

6 inches from heat 15 to 20 minutes, turning once.

over medium heat 20 to 25 minutes, turning often

in batches, at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through

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