
‘Barbequed’ Baby Back Ribs
Easy, Moderate, Complex
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 heads garlic, halved, skins left on
- 3 apples, halved, unpeeled
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 racks baby back pork ribs
- S & P
- Flour for dredging
- 1 cup Worchestershire Sauce (250 ml)
- 1 cup tomato ketchup (250 ml)
- 1 cup soy sauce (250 ml)
- 1 cup cider vinegar (250 ml)
- 1 cup maple syrup (250 ml)
- 1 tin of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- A clump of fresh thyme sprigs
- A clump of fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1 bottle red table wine (750 ml)
- Water to cover
- 2 tablespoons potato starch (30 ml)
Method
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Cut your vegetables into nice thick chunks. Halve the garlic and quarter the apples. Don’t worry about skins, seeds etc. All will be strained later.
- Take your racks of ribs, cut in half and season with S & P.
- In a large bowl, dredge the rib racks with flour on all sides.
- In a large wide pot, on high heat, add oil, let it get hot, and sear the ribs until brown on all sides. Don’t tamper with them. Let their surface maintain a nice contact with the hot pan. Will take about 4 – 5 minutes per side.
- Remove meat and drain excess oil leaving behind all of the solid meaty bits that are stuck to the bottom..
- Add all vegetables, apples and herbs to the pot.
- Let them caramelize by leaving them to sit without tossing, for a few minutes, then toss them and let sit a bit longer.
- Return the ribs to the pot on top of vegetables.
- Place all sauce ingredients in a bowl to combine: Worchester, ketchup, cider vinegar, soy and maple syrup. Add chipotle peppers with their Adobo Sauce. Stir.
- Add liquids to cooking pot. Add the wine and top up with water if needed to ensure the ribs are just barely covered.
- Bring to a boil.
- Cover with foil and place in a 300 degree oven for 1 ½ hours or until barely fork tender – but not so tender they are falling off the bone.
- Remove meat from pot. Cut into rib sections and set aside.
- Strain solids out of the liquid.
- Return liquid to the pan and reduce by half to make the barbecue glaze (about 15 minutes.)
- When nearly done, place a half cup into a dish, add potato starch and whisk till smooth. Add back to pot, whisking as you do. This will help thicken the glaze and give the shiny look and syrupy texture.
- Toss ribs back into glaze to warm and get coated. Mound up on a platter, garnish with a handful of baby greens or sprouts, and serve with Warm Potato Salad.