Weather: it’s 10:30p.m. and the sun is still shining
What I’m listening to: We Bought a Zoo, Jonsi
I really like country-style pork ribs because they’re relatively inexpensive (almost always on sale) and there is a lot of meat compared to baby back ribs. The trick to getting a tender, succulent country-style rib is to bake it low and slow for several hours before finishing it on the grill.
And I paired these juicy ribs with a tangy and sweet barbecue sauce with a little bit of a kick. It has a great depth of flavor from molasses, coffee, and chipotle.
Homemade barbecue sauce is so easy to make and because you’re the one making it, you can adjust the heat level and sweetness according to your preference. We passed this bottle around the table several times… it was a mighty big hit with everyone. I may not buy bottled barbecue sauce again.
Country Ribs with Sassy Barbecue Sauce
Yields: 6 servings
- 4-6 country-style pork ribs (if they are quite long, you can cut them in half)
- salt and pepper
- For the Sauce:
- 1T canola oil
- 1/3c onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1c ketchup
- 1/4c brown sugar
- 3T apple cider vinegar
- 1T worcestershire sauce
- 1/3c molasses
- 2t (or more) adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers)
- 1/4t liquid smoke (optional)
- 2-4T brewed coffee (until desired consistency is achieved)
- 1/2t pepper
- dash of salt
Preheat oven to 250.
Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil. Place ribs in the pan. Season with salt and pepper on all sides. Cover pan with foil and bake 2 hours.
To make the sauce, add the canola oil to a saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Add garlic, until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the remainder of the sauce ingredients and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer turn heat down to low. Allow to lightly simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes.
Transfer sauce to a blender and whirl until smooth. Reserve some sauce for glazing the ribs. Bottle and refrigerate the remainder of the sauce to serve with the ribs at the table.
After the ribs have cooked for two hours, remove the foil, turn the ribs over and brush with the barbecue sauce. Cover with foil again and return to the oven. Continue turning and glazing the ribs every 30 minutes or so until the meat is tender, about 2 more hours (for a cooking time of 4 hours total).
Heat your outdoor grill or grill pan to medium. Coat your ribs one final time with sauce, then grill on both sides until nice grill marks are achieved (being careful not to burn your sauce), a few minutes per side.
Serve with barbecue sauce on the side.
