I’m committing blog crime! Without giving you time to recover from my root beer barbecue sauce – you might actually be licking your fingers as I type – I am sharing what has become my new favorite rib sauce. The fresh lemon juice is the star of this sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! I promise I am not blowing smoke… My fingers were knuckle deep in my mouth! I don’t want to leave you with the impression that all I do is stick my fingers in the sauce so that I can lick it off. My messy fingers are the result of my demure eating style. Ralph marvels at my skill for getting the sauce on my face that my tongue can’t even reach. There’s a reason we have napkins…
Ribs are the iconic barbecue food. Sadly, they’re often dried out and burnt to a crisp or so soft they pull apart like strings. The perfect rib is slightly char-crusted on the outside with the centre cooked tender and juicy. Every cook has there own technique. This is mine.
Grilled Ribs
Preheat oven 325*F
1 rack of back ribs per person
Season ribs well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and then place in a shallow roasting pan. I used my homemade steak spice
Bake ribs, covered with tin foil for 45 minutes
Heat grill to 500*F
Place racks bone side down on grill painting top heavily with sauce – grill for 4 minutes
Turn racks and repeat procedure.
THE LOVE: Don’t walk away from your ribs. You don’t want them catching on fire so it’s important to move the ribs away from any flash fires. I turn the ribs a third time for one final slather of sauce on top!
Lemon Maple Barbecue Sauce
Makes 3 cups
2 cups no-name ketchup
½ cup maple syrup
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Add ingredients to a medium sized sauce pan and whisk well
Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat then reduce to a simmer
Stirring constantly, cook until thick.
Use immediately or cool and store in the refrigerator in a well sealed jar.
THE LOVE: The maple syrup will cause the sauce to scorch if left unattended.
one year ago: slow-roasted chicken Caprese focaccia
two years ago: rhubarb tart
Thanks for reading.
