Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Country-style pork ribs with maple whisky barbecue sauce

I love country-style pork ribs. I don't recall ever seeing them when we lived in Chicago. Maybe I just never looked. But here in Colorado, they're pretty common. This time I decided to slow cook them on the grill.

But before I put them on the grill, I marinated them in a super-simple marinade. The flavor will be different depending on which ketchup you use, so it's wise to do a little tasting before you slather it on the meat. Many brands of ketchup are sweet enough, but that's up to you. And of course salt is a personal taste.

If you refer a spicy sauce, you could add a pinch of cayenne.

I've been having a lot of fun with the Maple-aged whisky from Crown Royal. I've used in in ice cream a few times, but this time I decided to use it in a savory dish. This was a winner for sure. An it couldn't be any easier.

Country-Style Pork Ribs
--- on the grill with maple whisky barbecue sauce

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Crown Maple
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)
4 pieces country-style pork ribs

Combine the ketchup and Crown Maple. Give it a little taste and add salt and sugar, if needed.

Put the ribs in a plastic bag and add the sauce. Massage it a bit to make sure the sauce is evenly coating the meat.

Set aside for an hour at room temperature, or refrigerate if you won't be cooking for a while.

Preheat your grill with the fire off to one side or with just one burner turned on medium-low temperature if you have an electric grill. Cook the rib on indirect heat, covered, until the meat is tender. How long this takes depends on how thick the meat is and what temperature your grill is, but figure about three hours. The goal is low and slow cooking. It's mostly unattended, though - just make sure the fire doesn't go out, move the meat around once in a while to make sure it's cooking evenly, and make sure the meat isn't getting too close to the fire, so it doesn't burn or overcook.

When the meat is tender, remove it from the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

Leftovers make great shredded pork sandwiches.
Yum