Description
Fall off the bone tender and full of flavor, these make a great meal year round!
Ingredients
- 3 cups Coca-Cola
- 2 cups cranberry juice (make sure it’s 100% juice, not juice cocktail)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Creole mustard
- 1/3–1/2 cup chipotle sauce (look for a small can of sauce that doesn’t have any chipotle chilies in it)
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons freshly minced ginger
- 5–6 cloves garlic
- Liquid smoke or smoked paprika
- 1–2 racks babyback pork ribs
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except for the liquid smoke and the ribs in the jar of your blender or, if you have an immersion blender, in a pitcher. Blend until the ingredients are combined. Reserve 1 cup of the liquid per rack of ribs (if making a lot, you may want to double the recipe–better to have too much than not enough).
Oven Method
- Preheat oven to 300. Cut the ribs into portions that have 2-3 bones per portion. Place in a heavy lidded pot or Dutch oven (don’t use a baking dish covered with foil–it won’t retain enough heat and the ribs won’t be as tender). Pour the unreserved liquid over the ribs, cover, and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours or until the meat is very tender (you may want to turn the ribs halfway through the cooking time, especially if they’re not all completely covered by the liquid).
- Place the reserved liquid in a small saucepan or skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes or until the liquid is starting to reduce and thicken slightly (if you’re starting with 1 cup, you want to reduce it by about 1/4 cup). Remove from heat and set aside.
- When the ribs are done braising, remove the pot from the oven and carefully transfer the ribs to a foil-lined pan. Sprinkle with liquid smoke or smoked paprika. Either turn the broiler on your oven to high or heat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Brush one side of the ribs with half of the reduced glaze and cook on the heated grill or under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until the ribs are shiny and glazed. Flip the ribs and brush the opposite side with the remaining glaze and cook for another 3-5 minutes, being careful not to scorch the ribs. Serve immediately. 1 rack serves about 2-3 adults.
Crock Pot Method
- Cut the ribs into portions that have 2-3 bones per portion. Place in a slow cooker. Pour the unreserved liquid over the ribs, cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the meat is very tender (you may want to turn the ribs halfway through the cooking time, especially if they’re not all completely covered by the liquid).
- Place the reserved liquid in a small saucepan or skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes or until the liquid is starting to reduce and thicken slightly (if you’re starting with 1 cup, you want to reduce it by about 1/4 cup). Remove from heat and set aside.
- When the ribs are done braising, remove the pot from the oven and carefully transfer the ribs to a foil-lined pan. Sprinkle the ribs with liquid smoke or smoked paprika. Either turn the broiler on your oven to high or heat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Brush one side of the ribs with half of the reduced glaze and cook on the heated grill or under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until the ribs are shiny and glazed. Flip the ribs and brush the opposite side with the remaining glaze and cook for another 3-5 minutes, being careful not to scorch the ribs. Serve immediately. 1 rack serves about 2-3 adults.