Seriously Delicious Ribs

As I said last time, since my knee surgery I’ve been pulling my weight around the house by suggesting to Joseph what he can make for me. And when I opened my weekly e-mail from Food52 last weekend, I immediately clicked on their menu suggestions for 4th of July and stopped scrolling when I got to the “Seriously Delicious Ribs.” I was so excited that when I called out to Joseph, well, we’re lucky he didn’t call an ambulance, thinking there was something wrong with my knee.

We were supposed to go to Burlington, VT for 4th of July weekend, including one of my favorite places on earth, the Restaurant at the Inn at Shelburne Farms, to celebrate our second anniversary. Our anniversary was June 19th, but between traveling and people traveling to visit us, we hadn’t had time to properly celebrate. My grandparents lived in Burlington and we used to go every summer so besides being a really nice town, it’s a very nostalgic place for me and I was really looking forward to it. When my doctor’s office called and told me that the doctor could squeeze my surgery in on July 1st, I panicked. I talked it through with Joseph and my boss at work, and finally decided it would be better to just get the surgery over with. I was so sad that it took me a few days to get around to canceling the reservations. Oh well. I’m sure we made someone on the waitlist very happy, and hopefully we’ll still be able to get up there later this summer.

Joseph was either feeling sorry for me in my pitiful, drugged up state, or he just really wanted those ribs himself. Because the next thing I knew, he was giving me a taste of the rub that was going on the ribs. And it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I knew instantly that these were going to be my favorite ribs ever (but I still love you, Adobo Baby Back Ribs!). The rub (chipotle, instant espresso powder, allspice, garlic powder, paprika,brown sugar, salt, and pepper) is sweet, spicy, and smokey and I like the blend so much, I would put it on toast just to be able to get that beautiful medley of flavors.

The greatness of these ribs doesn’t end there, though, because the glaze has prosecco in it! Loving sparkling wines as I do, it was not only a huge part of why I wanted to try these ribs so badly, it was also my sole motivator for not taking percocet for my knee that afternoon so I could have a glass of prosecco with dinner. And it was so worth it. When Joseph brought me my plate, I was silently aghast that the fabulous oven baked fries he had made were sitting in the sauce (ech, soggy fries?), but by the end of the meal, I was intentionally soaking the fries in the sauce because it’s just so good! These ribs are cooked low and slow, producing the most delicious, fall right off the bone ribs ever and you don’t even need a grill (but you can if you want!).

And last, but not least, we have a winner for the DIY Cocktails Giveaway! Congratulations to our winner, Jamie! Jamie says that she loves pretty much all fruity drinks and a good ol’ traditional Old Fashions, but her favorite drink is a whiskey ginger. Hopefully this book will help her find even more favorites! Congratulations again, Jamie! Please be sure to respond to my email within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen.

Print Recipe

Simply Delicious Ribs #

Adapted from J_ennifer Perillo on Food 52_

Ingredients #

For the Dry Rub:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

• 1/4 teaspoon allspice

• 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

• 2 slabs pork baby back ribs (3 to 3 1/2 lbs total)

For the Braising Liquid/BBQ Glaze:

• 1 cup sparkling white wine (such as prosecco)

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions #

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Add all the dry rub ingredients to a small bowl and stir thoroughly with a fork or small whisk. Rub the mixture evenly all over each rack of ribs, making sure to coat top and bottom. Place the ribs in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet or in a roasting pan and let sit, covered, in the refrigerator for one hour.

3. Meanwhile, place liquid ingredients in a small pot and cook over medium heat until just hot. Alternately, you can add them to a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high for 1 minute.

4. Remove ribs from the refrigerator. Carefully pour braising liquid over ribs (you don’t want to wash away all that great dry rub!), wrap tightly with heavy-duty foil and place in the oven, side by side if possible. Cook for 2 ½ half hours. Alternate the pans halfway through if cooking on separate racks in oven.

5. Remove the pans from oven, discard the foil and pour or spoon the braising liquid into a medium saucepot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a vigorous simmer and let cook until liquid reduces by half and becomes a thick, syrupy consistency, about 20 to 30 minutes.

6. Preheat the broiler. Brush the glaze on top of each rack of ribs. Place ribs under the broiler until the glaze begins to caramelize, one to two minutes (watch carefully, or all your waiting will be spoiled by burned ribs!). Slice and serve with remaining glaze on the side.

Number of servings: 4-6