Honey Bourbon Ribs Recipes

HONEY BOURBON RIBS

Steps:

• Prepare the pork ribs by slicing them into individual ribs, I prefer a rib with a fair bit of meat on it (Often called a Chinese rib in Australia).
• Pour the honey bourbon into a saucepan with a lid, place over a small burner and simmer on a low heat, light the bourbon with a match carefully to burn off some of the alcohol and caramelize the honey. After 2 minutes turn off the heat, and cover the saucepan with a lid to extinguish the flame.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine, then pour the sauce into a plastic bag and add the ribs, squeezing out any excess air and tying off the bag to place in the fridge for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
• Place the ribs and sauce into a baking tray and seal the tray with aluminum foil, then place into an oven at 90C for 4 hours.
• You can eat them at this point but I like to BBQ them for 2 minutes a side to get some nice grill marks on them and give it more of a smoky flavor.

HONEY BOURBON GLAZED SMOKED SPARERIBS, WITH BEER BACON BBQ SAUCE AND SOUTHWESTERN GREEN CHILI MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• For the honey bourbon glaze: Pour the bourbon into a saucepan over low heat; ignite bourbon to burn off the alcohol for about 5 minutes. Add the honey and brown sugar and whisk to thicken. Simmer for another 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Pour glaze into a small bowl and set aside.
• For the beer bacon bbq sauce: Heat a large pot on high heat, then add the butter and let it melt for 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onions and garlic. Saute until translucent. Add the beer and bacon and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar and reduce by a quarter, then add ketchup, molasses, granulated sugar, brisket drippings, chili powder, Worcestershire, salt and pepper and cook on low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool for 10 minutes, then puree in a blender until smooth, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• For the ribs: Whisk together the salt, pepper, chile powder and garlic powder in a small bowl. Drizzle a little canola oil over the ribs, front and back, then rub the oil in. Holding your hand high, season both sides of the ribs with rub. Be sure to get an even coating on both sides, along with the sides of the ribs.
• Soak 5 to 6 paper towels with canola oil, then open the smoker lid and place soaked paper towels in the smoker with 1 chunk hickory, 2 small chunks apple wood and a few handfuls charcoal. Light the paper towels. Let the coals burn down for 20 to 30 minutes. Add a couple more chunks hickory, apple and charcoal, then let smoker come up to 250 degrees F. Place a small pan of water on smoker rack, then place ribs in smoker. Let cook 30 to 40 minutes.
• Add another chunk of each wood and more charcoal; repeat this process every 30 to 45 minutes. At 2 hours into the cooking process, spritz ribs with apple cider vinegar, then spritz every 30 minutes until the third hour of cooking. At the third hour, wrap the ribs in foil and place back on the smoker. At the 4 1/2-hour mark, take the ribs out of foil and glaze with the honey bourbon. Let glaze set in for 20 to 30 minutes in the smoker meat-side up. Let ribs rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then slice. Drizzle ribs with Beer Bacon BBQ sauce and toss. Garnish the ribs with sliced scallions.
• For the Southwestern Green Chili Mac 'n' Cheese: Meanwhile, heat four cups half-and-half to a gentle boil in a medium-large saucepot. Add the garlic, chipotle sauce, cumin, seafood seasoning and thyme, then add the American cheese, whisking until smooth and melted. Fold in the pasta and green chiles and heat through until lightly bubbly. Add the shredded jack, Cheddar and Gouda. If the pasta is too thick, add in another cup or two of half-and-half to smooth it out. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Garnish with toasted buttered breadcrumbs and a sprinkle of Korean chile flakes.
• If you prefer baked mac 'n' cheese, place pasta into a casserole dish, sprinkle a handful of extra Cheddar and jack cheeses on top and bake at 350 degrees F until browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH BOURBON-HONEY GLAZED RIBS

Steps:

• For the Sauce: Combine all the ingredients (except for 1 tablespoon of the bourbon) in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until reduced by 1/3, stirring often. Sauce should be dark and slightly thickened (about 20 minutes). Turn of the heat and stir in the last tablespoon of bourbon. Sauce can be made up to 4 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
• For the Ribs: Preheat the oven to 225º F. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Slide a sharp knife under the white membrane on the back of the ribs and cut a hole into the membrane. Use your fingers to slide under the membrane and pull it away from the meat. Usually it helps to use a paper towel for extra grip. Remove all of the outer membrane and discard.
• Pat ribs very dry with paper towels and cut each rack in half (to make them easier to turn later). Sprinkle a good tablespoon of dry rub on each side of the ribs and press until it's well-coated all over. (you should use about 4 tablespoons for 2 whole racks).
• Lay a large piece of foil on a baking tray and place one rack on it, meat-side up. Fold up 3 sides of the foil to create a rim: pour half the apple juice into this pocket and then fold over and crimp the packet closed. Wrap the packet in a 2nd layer of foil. Repeat with the second rack. Cook for 4 to 4 1/2 hours. The ribs are ready when you can pierce them easily with a fork. Remove the ribs from the oven and set aside. Unwrap the ribs carefully and place them on a baking tray, meat side up. (Ribs can be par-cooked the day ahead and refrigerated at this point. If making the day ahead, let the ribs cool for 20 minutes, then take them out of the foil and place in sealable bags and refrigerate overnight. Let them come to room temperature before the next step).
• Note: Ribs can be finished in the oven or on a grill. Turn the broiler on high (or prepare a grill with medium-high heat) and set an oven rack about 6 inches from heat. Coat the the ribs well with BBQ sauce. Place the ribs under the broiler or on grill and cook until the sauce just starts to bubble (4-5 minutes). Take them out and apply another coat of glaze and cook again until glaze bubbles and browns (Do not walk away while broiling! They can burn easily so watch carefully). Remove from the broiler or grill, cut the ribs and serve.

SMOKED RIBS WITH HONEY-BOURBON GLAZE

Steps:

• For the ribs: Put the wood chips in a large bowl with the bourbon and add water to cover. Soak for 1 hour.
• Position a rack on the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Drain the wood chips and spread in the bottom of a large roasting pan.
• Stir together the brown sugar, salt, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, garlic powder and black pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture over the meaty side of each rack of ribs.
• Set the roasting pan over medium-high heat (see Cook's Note). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the wood chips are smoking. (This can take up to 5 minutes.) Set a metal roasting rack over the chips and arrange the ribs side-by-side. Seal the pan very tightly with several layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the roasting pan on the bottom rack of the oven and roast 2 1/2 hours.
• For the glaze: Combine the honey, bourbon, vinegar and molasses in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chipotle. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
• After 2 1/2 hours, remove the ribs from the oven and carefully remove the foil. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Place the ribs side-by-side on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the ribs with the glaze and roast until they are caramelized and crisp on the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Transfer the rib slabs to a cutting board and cut between the bones to make individual ribs. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce.