Competition Baby Back Ribs with Apple-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce for a Summer BBQ Party #SundaySupper

Competition Baby Back Ribs with Apple-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce for a Summer BBQ Party #SundaySupper

Hello from Orlando!

I am publishing this dish while I am away at the Food and Wine Conference that I previewed back in May. Since I wrote about it, I have been assigned to promote the Idaho Potato Commission. This past Friday, Coryanne Etienne reported live from the Great Big Idaho Potato Truck interviewing bloggers who shared their favorite potato recipes. Search for the #IdahoPotatoCam hashtag for a recap if you missed it. I'll provide a more comprehensive review when I return.

Speaking of when I return from the conference, this upcoming Saturday is the annual competition, Rib Fest in the Park. Two years ago, I won the competition as a rookie. Last year, thinking if it ain't broke, don't fix it I competed again using the same recipe but lost. The feedback I received from the judges was the sauce was too sweet and they were looking for a little heat to balance out the flavor, so I went back to the drawing board. I kept it simple, pairing apples with pork is classic so there's nothing outrageous from a flavor profile standpoint. In fact, one of my favorite dishes I've already prepared uses it.

Since this is a #SundaySupper event hosted by Jennie of The Messy Baker and Melanie of Melanie Makes (thanks, ladies!), I should point out that there is a difference between barbecue dishes and grilled dishes. The two terms are sometimes inaccurately used interchangeably. As this Yahoo! Shine article explains, both methods use an open flame however barbecue is typically smoked, using low heat, cooking meats over several hours while grilling uses high heat and cooking meats only minutes. It is for this reason that I must confess. I cheat. I do not have an outdoor grill or a smoker but I have found a work around in the smoker bag.

The Challenge

Win the 2014 Rib Fest in the Park

The Source

I adapted the instructions of the smoker bag to a Curtis Stone barbecue sauce.

Ingredients

2 racks pork back ribs
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup bourbon
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups ketchup
3/4 cup packed golden brown sugar
2 to 4 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped (to taste)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
Juice from 1 lemon

Method

1. Smoke the ribs. Place an oven rack on the very bottom level and preheat the oven according to the smoker bag's instructions. Pat each rack of ribs dry on both sides with a paper towel, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Place each rack into the smoker bag, meat side up, and fold to close. Place the smoker bag on a sheet pan, then place in the oven and cook according to the smoker bag's instructions. (The ones I purchase use 500⁰ Fahrenheit for the first 15 minutes, then the heat is lowered to 375⁰ Fahrenheit for an additional 60 minutes.)

2. Prepare the barbecue sauce. While the ribs smoke, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Once melted, ad the onions and sweat, approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the onions and cook until fragrant, an additional 3 minutes. Add the paprika, dry mustard, then the bourbon and apple cider vinegar and simmer for approximately 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients, then season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce to medium-low and continue to simmer until the sauce thickens, 45 minutes to 1 hour. According to Chef Stone, this can be done up to 2 weeks ahead of cooking the ribs. If doing ahead of time, reheat before using.

3. Finish the ribs. Remove the ribs from the oven and let them stand for 10 minutes. Adjust the heat to 425⁰ Fahrenheit. Remove the ribs from the smoker bag and place back on the sheet pan. Baste the ribs with the sauce and place the ribs back in the oven until the sauce sticks to the ribs, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Rest the ribs for 5 minutes before cutting the ribs crosswise into individual portions and serve with any leftover sauce.

NOTE: The ribs can be prepared entirely on the grill using direct and indirect heat to regulate temperature control. On the day of the competition, I will most likely prepare steps 1 and 2 at home but complete step 3 on site.

Successful?

I guess you could say this was a dry run for the competition this upcoming Saturday. In this instance, prepared the barbecue sauce a day ahead of smoking ribs. I also only smoked just the one rack (as the pictures above suggest) because it was just me, Mrs. Stuntman and my daughter eating so I halved the ingredients and only used one chile. The spice was overpowering when I went to taste it the next day so I added in the rest of the brown sugar to balance out the flavors. Unfortunately, I don't know if I won this competition because I am writing this before it occurs but I will update once the results are in. Also, please note that I will have limited ability to moderate comments since I am away. Realistically, I'll be able to get to everyone sometime on Tuesday.

Please check the other dishes brought to this Summer BBQ Party:

Beverages

• Best Wines For A Summer BBQ Party from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• Grilled Peach and Cinnamon Whiskey Sour from Peaceful Cooking
• How To Make Fresh Squeezed Lemonade from Life Tastes Good
• Pineapple Margaritas from The Messy Baker
• Stone Fruit Sangria from Because I Like Chocolate
• Strawberry Lemonade from Basic N Delicious

Appetizers

• BBQ Stuffed Calimari from Jane's Adventure in Dinner

Sides and Accompaniments

• Cucumber Salad with Blackberry Browned Butter Vinaigrette from Nik Snacks
• Easy Fruity Salad from Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos
• Grilled Corn on the Cob with Lime Butter from The Redhead Baker
• Jacques' Cucumber Salad with Onions from Food Lust People Love
• Mango Peanut Slaw from The Texan New Yorker
• Mom's Classic Macaroni Salad from Webicurean
• Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce from Bobby's Kozy Kitchen
• Two Tomato Chutney from What Smells So Good?

Main Dishes

• Asian-Style Pasta with Gochujang Peanut Sauce from Wallflour Girl
• Barbecue Ribs from girlichef
• BBQ Stuffed Peppers from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Bistecca from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
• Competition Baby Back Ribs with Apple-Bourbon Barbecue Sauce from Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Grilled Clams with Chorizo from Noshing With The Nolands
• Grilled Sanma from A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen
• Grilled Shrimp with Lemon Basil from Nosh My Way
• Grilled Swordfish and Eggplant with Fusilli and Tomatoes from Cooking Chat
• Grilled Wings from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Lemon Oregano Spatchcock Chicken from Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Mango Beef Kebabs from Curious Cuisiniere
• Steak Skewers with Chimichurri from Jelly Toast
• Sweet and Tangy Blueberry BBQ Chicken Pizza from Simply Gourmet

Desserts

• Amazing S'mores 7-Layer Bars from Flavor Mosaic
• Banana Pudding Pie from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Blackberry Cake from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Blueberry and Raspberry Galette from Rhubarb and Honey
• Farm Stand Blackberry Buckle from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Grilled Peach Crumble from Try Anything Once Culinary
• Grilled Peaches with Mascarpone Cream and Sweet Balsamic Syrup from La Bella Vita Cucina
• Hot Fudge Ice Cream Pie from Melanie Makes
• Lemon Ricotta Bars from The Foodie Army Wife
• Old Fashioned Sour Cherry Pie from Pies and Plots
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake from Take A Bite Out of Boca
• S'mores Chocolate Cookie Cups from Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET.  Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Food Unchained: Vinegar Brined Baby Back Ribs



Vinegar Brined Baby Back Ribs

Somebody check the temperature in hell...

I'm a little embarrased by all this good fortune but I was chosen the winner of a giveaway sponsored by Kaitlin of I Can Cook That. Thank you very much!

Now onto the food...

When my wife and I were first married, we would eat at chain restaurants about once or twice a month. Often, we would end up at Chili's Grill & Bar.

Fast forward to late 2009 when my wife took me there for my birthday. I hadn't started a food blog yet but I had found a baby back ribs recipe by Dave Lieberman (using store bought barbecue sauce) I really liked after my brother-in-law demonstrated his version he brought with him from the Philippines and I wanted to find something that originated from Southern barbecue. I figured baby back ribs was a signature dish, so it would be a pretty safe choice.

I was wrong.

The ribs I made at home were so much better by comparison and cheaper too. In short, I felt ripped off. In fact, my first recipe for Food By DB was the recipe above, which served as one motivation to start blogging in the first place. About a year ago, I updated my recipe using Chef Michael Chiarello's recipe using his barbecue sauce. The best way to prepare ribs is to smoke them but this is apartment living folks, and I am not able to due to space constraints. Also, these two recipes used a similar cooking method and needed to mix things up a bit.

The Challenge

Not only recreate, but improve a dish served at a restaurant chain, in this case Chili's baby back ribs with original barbecue sauce.

The Source

Adapted from this Guy Fieri recipe for several reasons:

1. I've already reviewed the benefits of a brine with my chicken & rice recipe I published a couple of months ago, but I've never brined pork ribs. If I can't smoke my ribs, can I enhance flavor with a brine? Going in, I was a little skeptical that a short time in the brine would be effective.

2. This recipe is different than the cooking methods I've used in the past but it is very similar to rib recipes used by Bobby Flay I've tried in the past.

Ingredients

FOR THE BARBECUE SAUCE:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced serrano pepper Anaheim pepper, minced (I'm not much of a spice fan.)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger teaspoon, grated ginger
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups frozen raspberries
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam preserves
3 tablespoons molasses maple syrup

FOR THE BRINE AND RIBS:

1 cup apple cider vinegar
4 cups water
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly cracked black peppercorns
10 garlic cloves, smashed
3 pounds baby back ribs, silver skin removed, racks cut into 3 to 4 rib sections
6 fluid ounces beer
1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered

Method

Prepare your barbecue sauce:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and Anaheim and cook until the onion is translucent. Stir in the garlic and the ginger and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer, being cautious not to burn.

2. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and then add the frozen raspberries, preserves and maple. Stir to combine, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Puree with an immersion blender, then strain through a sieve into a bowl or jar, to remove the seeds, pushing the sauce through as much as possible. Can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Raspberries Pureed

Straining the Puree

Cook the ribs:

4. Preheat a grill to high and an oven to 400°Fahrenheit.

5. In a large resealable bag or nonreactive container; combine the vinegar, water, 1 tablespoon of the salt and 1 tablespoon of the pepper, 4 of the garlic cloves and the ribs. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes only.

6. Remove the ribs from the brine and season both sides with the remaining salt and pepper. Sear the ribs on an indoor grill or outdoor if available, until lightly browned.

7. In a large roasting pan, fitted with a rack, arrange the ribs on the rack and pour in the beer. Add the onion and remaining garlic cloves. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and put into the hot oven. Reduce the heat to 300 and roast for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil and baste the ribs with the BBQ sauce. Roast for 7 minutes, then turn the ribs over, baste again and roast for another 7 minutes. Remove the ribs from the oven to a cutting board and slice between the ribs. Arrange on a serving platter and serve.

About to Go into the Oven

After 90 Minutes

Successful?

The raspberry sauce was a little too sweet and I liked Chef Chiarello's better but it still was an improvement over Chili's. The brine also was effective in keeping the ribs succulent.





And finally, I'll leave you with...



(Think they were singing about my ribs?)