These ribs are cooked in the oven before going on the barbecue so they are meltingly tender. They go great with some coleslaw and a jacket potato.
Drink suggestion: As this dish has a sweetness to it we looked to a lager with a bit of bitterness instead. Taking the recommendation by Justin from our local store (Sweeneys D3) of the Samuel Adams Boston Lager, this was deeply smooth and complex, with a well-balanced hoppy bitterness and clean, lingering finish. The hints of malt added a hint of sweetness which helped accentuate the pork flavours, so well suggested. A beer we’d overlooked for no apparent reason, but one we’ll revisit again.
Barbecued pork ribs – serves 4
- 2 racks of baby back pork ribs, trimmed and sinew removed
- 330ml can of beer
FOR THE SPICE RUB:
- 2 tsp table salt
- 2 tbsp smoked paparika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 4 tbsp veg oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
FOR THE BARBECUE SAUCE:
- 100ml American mustard
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 1 tbsp bourbon
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
Mix the spice rub ingredients together in a bowl, then lay the ribs in a large roasting dish and massage all over with the rub.
Pour the can of beer into the roasing tin and cover with foil. Leave to marinate for an hour or so but make sure they’re back to room temperature before you start cooking.
Preheat your oven to 150C/130C fan, then put the roasting tin with the ribs in to bake for 2 hours. Leave to cool slightly.
Make the sauce by putting the mustard, honey, bourbon, cider vinegar and brown sugar into a saucepan over a medium heat and stir to melt the sugar. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.
When you’re ready to eat, put the ribs onto a hot barbecue and allow to colour for a couple of minutes on each side. Use a pastry brush to glaze the ribs with the barbecue sauce and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. When the sugar starts to caramelise, brush them again and barbecue for another couple of minutes until thoroughly glazed.
(Original recipe from Outdoor Cooking By Tom Kerridge, Bloomsbury Absolute, 2021.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 