Meal planning for Father’s Day proves easy: All the fathers in my life enjoy pork ribs immensely. Grilled low and slow with a special glaze. Done.

Often the price of baby back ribs can be prohibitive. My local grocery store regularly sells bone-in, country-style pork ribs for less than half the price of the super tender baby back ribs and slightly less than chewy pork spare ribs. No brainer. We’re grilling country-style ribs this year and will relish their meaty flavor and juicy texture.

When available, choose bone-in, country-style ribs — generally, the bones help to retain flavor and moisture.

Despite their name, country-style ribs don’t actually come from the rib section of the pig. Rather they are cut from the shoulder area near the loin. They resemble pork chops with some irregular shoulder bones.

Like all ribs as well as pork shoulder, season the meat several hours or even days in advance. Then cook slowly to coax the cuts into toothsome tenderness.

I like to sear the ribs first over the direct heat of the grill, then move the meat away from the heat to finish cooking by the indirect method. Remember not to add any sweet grill sauces or glazes until near the end of the cooking to prevent burning.

Speaking of glazes, our go-to summer grill glaze features tangy tamarind with agave syrup and plenty of fresh orange. Tamarind, an edible tropical fruit, is prized for its rich, piquant flavor.

We first encountered tamarind in the ultra-refreshing Mexican agua fresca, featuring the chocolate-brown fruit puree dissolved in water with a little sugar and lime. Cooks throughout Asia and Mexico scrape the dark brown pulp from their pods to use in marinades, chutneys, condiments and candies.

Look for tamarind in several forms in Asian, Indian and Mexican markets. Fresh pods, the color of cinnamon, require the cook to soak and scrape the pulp out of the pod and to remove the oval seeds.

I prefer the convenience of bottled pure tamarind concentrate (also available online) to add this dark tangy fruit to a curry, marinade, glaze or drink. Check the ingredient line; if the tamarind concentrate contains sweeteners, adjust your recipe accordingly. When tamarind is unavailable, I make a similarly dark and tangy puree using pitted prunes soaked in very hot water until soft. Drain, then puree the prunes in a small blender jar with several tablespoons of fresh lime juice. The puree should have the consistency of thin jam.

The glaze here can be made up to a week in advance. It’s great with pork and chicken and as a finishing sauce for grilled eggplant and firm tofu. Try it drizzled over cooked green beans with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Start Father’s Day by offering guests a refreshing tamarind agua fresca to sip around the grill.