How to make
Barbecued Baby Back Ribs with Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce
- Lay the racks meat side down on your work surface. Look to see if they have a translucent membrane running over the meat and bones. Starting at the smallest bones, gently lift up the membrane with a knife, then pull it off with your hands, much like pulling a sheet of glued paper off something. Discard the membrane; set the ribs aside.
- Reserve 1⁄2 cup bourbon. Pour the remainder of the bourbon, the broth, and liquid smoke into a very large roasting pan or a disposable aluminum pan. If you don’t have a pan that’s large enough, divide the ingredients between two pans. Place the meat in the marinade, turn, cover, and refrigerate at least overnight or up to 2 days.
- Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Swirl in the canola oil, then add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Add the vinegar, ketchup, chili sauce, lemon juice, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, cloves, and hot red pepper sauce; then stir in the remaining 1⁄2 cup bourbon. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 25 minutes, stirring once in a while. Cover and set aside while you prepare the grill. (The sauce can be made in advance; cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days, but bring it back to a low simmer over medium heat before continuing.)
- Preheat half of a gas grill to medium heat and set a drip pan under the unheated section of the grate, or build a medium-heat, well-ashed coal bed in a charcoal grill, rake the coals to one side, and place a drip pan under the section of the grate not directly above the heat. Dab some oil on a paper towel and lightly oil the unheated section of the grate, setting it about 5 inches above the heat.
- Place the ribs meat side down on the unheated section of the grill over the drip pan; brush them generously with the barbecue sauce. Cover and barbecue for 40 minutes, basting the ribs with more sauce every 10 minutes.
- Turn the ribs meat side up; cover again; and continue barbecuing over the unheated grill section until the meat pulls back from the bones and is very tender, about 1 hour, basting with sauce every 10 minutes. If using a charcoal grill, add more briquettes occasionally to keep the medium-heat fi re burning. If you want crispy ribs, transfer them to the part of the grate directly over the heat for the last 5 minutes of cooking, searing the outside of the meat on both sides. Transfer to a carving board and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing between the ribs to serve.
To prepare baby back ribs in the oven: - Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 250°F. Lay the prepared ribs bone side down on a baking sheet; roast for 11⁄2 hours.
- Bathe the ribs in barbecue sauce and continue roasting, basting occasionally, until the meat has pulled away from the bones and is fork-tender, about 1 more hour.
- You can also use this sauce on the Oven-Barbecued Pork Ribs
.Mop it onto the ribs during their fi nal 30 minutes in the oven.
Makes 4 hearty main-course servings