BALSAMIC GLAZED BABY BACK RIBS

BALSAMIC GLAZED BABY BACK RIBS image

Categories Pork

Number Of Ingredients 22

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Ingredients

For ribs:
12 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons each finely chopped rosemary and thyme
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
8-10 pounds baby back pork ribs (4 racks)
1 cup water
For the glaze:
2 cups balsamic vinegar (don't waste your best balsamic here)
1/2 cup honey
2 cups ketchup
1 can beer (preferably dry)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 red onion, diced
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup grainy mustard
1 or 2 teaspoons Tabasco (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water

Steps:

Marinate and roast ribs: Mince and mash garlic to a paste. Stir together with rosemary and thyme, brown sugar, vinegar, cayenne and salt. Rub evenly all over ribs and transfer to roasting pans. Marinate, chilled, 8 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 425°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Pour 1 cup water into roasting pan and tightly cover pan with foil. Roast ribs, rotating position of pan halfway through, until meat is very tender, about 1 3/4 hours. Remove pan from oven and transfer ribs to a platter or leaved covered. Make glaze: To make the glaze, combine all of the ingredients in a large pot on medium-low heat. Allow to simmer, stirring every so often, for a few hours, until the sauce is nice and thick. Set aside. Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium heat for gas) Brush some of glaze onto both sides of racks of ribs. Grill, turning occasionally, until ribs are hot and grill marks appear, about 6 minutes. Brush ribs with more glaze and serve remaining glaze on the side. To bring the ribs and glaze together, do the following. Turn on the broiler (if you don't have a broiler, get the oven up to 450°F). Cut the rib racks into individual ribs, place them on a foil-lined cookie sheet or broiler tray, and brush them aggressively with the glaze. Pop them under the broiler and watch them carefully: all that sugar makes them burn very easily! You want the glaze to fuse with the ribs; it takes 8 to 10 minutes. Serve the ribs hot with lots of napkins-trust me, you'll need them. Cooks' notes: Ribs can be roasted and glaze can be made 1 day ahead and chilled separately (covered once cool). Bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before glazing and grilling. Ribs can be broiled 3 to 4 inches from heat (instead of grilled) about 8 minutes.