American diner eating is a cuisine that has unmistakably taken over the Melbourne food scene. So, I thought it was time I made some American BBQ ribs at home too with this recipe that was recommended by my Sister. Although, my dream really is to experience a full on "Suthern" BBQ in the heart of Texas one day.
I enjoyed these ribs because of all the herbs used in the dry rub paired with the dark, oaky flavour from the ale. Not to mention the hit of chipotle to bring it more to life. It's a recipe that I've cooked 3 times in the past 6 months for different friends. Ribs is just one of those things that people don't cook enough of, which makes it even more fun to share with people.
The original recipe suggests that we make our own BBQ sauce from scratch, which I've tried. Even though I followed the recipe to the tee, I wasn't a fan of the final product. It was way too much ingredients to buy, effort to make and no matter how much I tried to reduce it, I still found it to be too watery (hard to glaze the meat properly). There's so many great BBQ sauces (and better than the one I made from scratch) you can buy off the shelf these days too, so why bother IMHO.
There's 2 places that I've bought my Chipotle from in the past:
1) Toscano's in Victoria Gardens (these had the whole peppers inside)
2) South Melbourne Market (in one of the deli sections near the Northern end of the market)
Was also hooked from the very first time my Sister made this Marinated Coleslaw for me. Goes so well when you're eating it with very meaty dishes like these BBQ ribs. Or, like the photo below when I made roast pork and crackling for friends on a separate occasion. YUM!
Anyway, hope you enjoy this recipe and the rest of your week. Ciao!
Photo taken from my Instagram (@winceeee)
American BBQ Ribs Recipe
(adapted from this recipe by SBS Food)
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
3/4 cup of good quality BBQ sauce *
1/4 cup chipotle sauce (or to taste)
3 tbsp honey or molasses
* I like the Masterfood Smokey BBQ Sauce
For the ribs:
2 tbsp smoky paprika
2 tbsp table salt
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp dried mixed herbs
2 to 3 racks of American style pork ribs (or baby back ribs)
1 to 2 bottles of dark ale beer
Method:
1. Mix the BBQ and Chipotle Sauce in a bowl. Taste and set aside.
2. Mix the paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper and mixed herbs in a bowl.
3. Rub about 3 tbsp of the dry spice mixture into each ribs until coated thoroughly on both sides. Store the remaining in a jar/ziplock bag for next time.
4. Place the ribs on a large tray and pour the beer over it until it just covers the ribs. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 160°C. Drain the beer from the tray. Place each rib on a large piece of aluminium foil. Place another piece of foil over it and crimp the edges so it's air tight. Do this for all the ribs.
6. Bake in oven for 2 hours. Remove ribs from foil and place them on the baking tray. Baste the top of the ribs generously with the BBQ sauce mixture.
7. Crank the heat to 230 deg C (or use the grill setting on oven) and bake for 8 minutes. Turn over, baste again, bake for another 8 minutes on other side. Finally, turn one last time, baste, bake for another 5 to 7 minutes or until it start to char slightly.
Alternatively, you can do the same steps on a BBQ Grill instead of an oven. Even tastier!
2 full racks for 4 ppl... FUN!!
Marinated Coleslaw Recipe
(adapted from this recipe by SBS Food)
Ingredients:
1/4 head of white cabbage (cored and thinly sliced)
1/4 head of red/purple cabbage (cored and thinly sliced)
1 large onion (thinly sliced)
1 can corn kernels (drained)
1 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 olive oil
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp mustard powder
1/2 cup chicken stock
Method:
1. Place the sliced cabbage, onion and corn kernels in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients and bring to boil.
3. Pour the hot liquid into the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and marinate for 8 hours or overnight. Try and stir the mixture every 2 hours if possible.
4. Toss before serving. Coleslaw can be made few days in advance until ready for use and stored in fridge for up to a week.
Love the bright colours. Such a great accompaniment to meat dishes too!
