Sticky BBQ Ribs
It's National Barbecue Week this week here in the UK and the weather is absolutely perfect for it! Why not up your game from the usual blackened burgers and sausages and give these sticky ribs a go..?
Low cost and low maintenance but packed with flavour, there's something so satisfying about a perfectly cooked rib. My version takes all the classic BBQ sauce flavours and pumps them up with a kick of chilli and a punch of booze. The alcohol will burn away but if you wanted to make this without the spirits, you can use a cloudy apple juice instead.
Sticky BBQ Ribs
1.5 kg higher-welfare baby back ribs, membrane removed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the paste:
5 tbsp honey or maple syrup
2 tsp chipotle chilli flakes
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or Henderson's Relish
1½ tsp paprika
1½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
For the BBQ Sauce:
4cm piece of ginger, grated
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
125ml tomato ketchup
60ml rum/tequila/gin
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or Henderson's Relish
3 tbsp vinegar (cider/white wine/sherry/red wine)
1 tsp mustard
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
50g sugar
Combine the paste ingredients and 2 tsp of salt in a bowl. Pat the ribs dry with kitchen paper, then place in a tray and rub all over with the paste. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.
When you want to cook, remove the ribs from the fridge, shake off any excess marinade and allow to come up to room temperature.
To cook fully on the barbecue: Set up your barbecue for the half and half technique (so half the base is covered in charcoal and the other side is empty) – you want a medium indirect heat. Place a drip tray inside the barbecue on the indirect side. Cover with the lid and allow to heat up like an outdoor oven – you want a temperature of around 180°C/350°F.
Rip off just over an arm’s length of tin foil, stack up the ribs in the centre and tightly wrap. Place the foil parcel over indirect heat on the barbecue, cover with the lid and cook for around 2 hours, or until the meat is tender and starts to fall away from the bone, remembering to replenish with hot coals every 45 minutes or so.
To start in the oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Put the ribs on a baking tray and cover with tin foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the grated ginger and garlic to a small pan on the hob. Add the rest of the BBQ sauce ingredients and 80ml of water. Simmer over a medium heat for around 30 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper then set aside.
Remove the ribs from the foil and brush all over with the BBQ sauce and any cooking juices. Place over the direct heat of your barbecue for 10-15 minutes, or until tender and golden, basting well with the sauce every 5 minutes or so. Remove to a board to rest for 5 minutes, then carve.
Low cost and low maintenance but packed with flavour, there's something so satisfying about a perfectly cooked rib. My version takes all the classic BBQ sauce flavours and pumps them up with a kick of chilli and a punch of booze. The alcohol will burn away but if you wanted to make this without the spirits, you can use a cloudy apple juice instead.
Sticky BBQ Ribs
1.5 kg higher-welfare baby back ribs, membrane removed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the paste:
5 tbsp honey or maple syrup
2 tsp chipotle chilli flakes
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or Henderson's Relish
1½ tsp paprika
1½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
For the BBQ Sauce:
4cm piece of ginger, grated
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
125ml tomato ketchup
60ml rum/tequila/gin
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or Henderson's Relish
3 tbsp vinegar (cider/white wine/sherry/red wine)
1 tsp mustard
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
50g sugar
Combine the paste ingredients and 2 tsp of salt in a bowl. Pat the ribs dry with kitchen paper, then place in a tray and rub all over with the paste. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.
When you want to cook, remove the ribs from the fridge, shake off any excess marinade and allow to come up to room temperature.
To cook fully on the barbecue: Set up your barbecue for the half and half technique (so half the base is covered in charcoal and the other side is empty) – you want a medium indirect heat. Place a drip tray inside the barbecue on the indirect side. Cover with the lid and allow to heat up like an outdoor oven – you want a temperature of around 180°C/350°F.
Rip off just over an arm’s length of tin foil, stack up the ribs in the centre and tightly wrap. Place the foil parcel over indirect heat on the barbecue, cover with the lid and cook for around 2 hours, or until the meat is tender and starts to fall away from the bone, remembering to replenish with hot coals every 45 minutes or so.
To start in the oven: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Put the ribs on a baking tray and cover with tin foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the grated ginger and garlic to a small pan on the hob. Add the rest of the BBQ sauce ingredients and 80ml of water. Simmer over a medium heat for around 30 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper then set aside.
Remove the ribs from the foil and brush all over with the BBQ sauce and any cooking juices. Place over the direct heat of your barbecue for 10-15 minutes, or until tender and golden, basting well with the sauce every 5 minutes or so. Remove to a board to rest for 5 minutes, then carve.
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