I’ve been doing some thinking these days and I’ve come to the conclusion that ribs are probably in my top 10 favourite foods. Not only are there multiple cuts of ribs, but so many flavour possibilities once you start integrating recipes from different cultures. Sure, barbecue ribs are delicious but who doesn’t love some sweet and sour ribs or some Korean ribs? Feel me?
This time around we’re talking barbecue ribs. I’ve said this before but if I weren’t Jamaican I’d probably want to be from the South (of the USA) because the food is just so dang good. I’m pretty sure I was a Southern grandmother in a previous life. I could eat barbecue for days, have an intense love for mac and cheese, load up my plate with some baked beans and don’t forget the collard greens. Basically this means that whenever I come across a new recipe for barbecue ribs I usually file it away to make it later.
A little while ago I had an intense craving for ribs. Luckily this was coupled with a sale on ribs so I bought a rack. And then I saw this recipe on Epicurious and knew I had to make it. I mean combining my love of ribs with my love of bacon? Get. Out. Of. Town. AND I get to make my own barbecue sauce? Sign me up. While some barbecue sauces are adequate it’s hard to find one that is great (I’m partial to Buster Rhino’s) so I tend to make my own.
The great thing about this recipe is that there is so much flavour. The ribs are covered in a dry rub and seasoned for hours allowing the spices to infiltrate the meat. After an initial cooking the ribs are finished with the bacony barbecue sauce. I cooked my ribs initially in the oven and then finished with the sauce under the broiler and they came out perfectly.
Oftentimes I’ll make a recipe, find it delicious and then never make it again. Seriously. My love of cooking drives me to do crazy things. But these ribs, THESE RIBS are so irresistible that I’ve made them at least 3 times. Once for friends, once for my mom and once en masse for my birthday shindig a little while ago. They have gone over well every single time.
Enjoy!
Barbecue Ribs with Smokey Bacon BBQ Sauce
For the ribs:
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, preferably Diamond Crystal
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika, preferably Pimentón de la Vera*
2 teaspoons ancho or New Mexican chile powder
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon dry mustard, preferably Colman’s
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 slabs St. Louis–style pork spareribs (about 7 pounds total) or 2 slabs pork spareribs (about 8 pounds total)
For the barbecue sauce:
6 ounces bacon, diced
2 medium onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons smoked paprika, preferably Pimentón de la Vera*
1 tablespoon ancho or New Mexican chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup brewed coffee
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar, plus more to taste
1 cup ketchup
Few dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco, plus more to taste
3 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves
Kosher salt
Prepare the rub and bake the ribs:
In a bowl, combine the garlic, salt, brown sugar, smoked paprika, chile powder, black pepper, sage, thyme, dry mustard, cumin, coriander, ginger, and cayenne pepper if using. Coat the ribs with the rub and wrap in plastic and allow to marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours. (You can also allow to rest at room temp for 2 hrs).
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. If you have a flat metal cooling rack, arrange it in the baking sheet and place the ribs, bone side down, on the rack. If you don’t have a rack, place the ribs, bone side down, directly on the foil-lined baking sheet. Bake the ribs until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
While the ribs are baking, make the barbecue sauce:
In a medium saucepan over moderately low heat, cook the bacon until the fat renders and the bacon starts to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the onions and continue cooking, covered and stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, sage, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add the smoked paprika, chile powder, cumin, black pepper, and ginger and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the coffee, brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar and stir well to combine. Raise the heat to moderate and bring the sauce to a boil, scraping the saucepan with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits from the bottom. Add the ketchup, hot sauce, and bay leaves, then lower the heat to moderately low and simmer the sauce until it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but isn’t as thick as ketchup, about 30 minutes. Taste the sauce and add more vinegar or hot sauce to taste and season with salt and pepper. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Broil the ribs:
Line a broiler pan with foil, then arrange the slabs, bone side down, on the pan and brush the fat-covered side with barbecue sauce. Broil, 3 to 4 inches from the heat, until the sauce on the fat-covered side begins to caramelize and lightly char, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the slab, brush the bone side with barbecue sauce, and continue to broil until the sauce on the bone-covered side begins to caramelize and lightly char, 2 to 3 minutes.
Recipe via Epicurious
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Even though they do take a few hours to prepare and cook, ribs are worth the wait! Especially with a homemade sauce. Love this sauce here too.