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Easy Ribs with Cherry Bourbon BBQ Sauce

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  • Author: Emily Koch
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 2 hours
  • Total Time: 2 hours 5 mins
  • Yield: 2 to 4 1x
  • Category: Entree
  • Cuisine: Red Meat, Ribs, Gluten-free

Description

These ribs are a fool proof. Throw them in the oven for 2 hours and finish them on the grill for 10 minutes. Plus the cherry bourbon BBQ sauce is everything you want BBQ sauce to be. It is sweet, tangy, and sticky, with a hint of cherries.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • FOR THE RIBS:
  • 2 pounds baby back pork ribs
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • FOR THE BBQ SAUCE:
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups ketchup
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup honey (depending on sweetness preference)
  • 4 tablespoons grade B maple syrup
  • 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 5 shots good quality bourbon, or whiskey (it sounds like a lot but it cooks down and the alcohol cooks off)
  • 1 teaspoon black ground pepper
  • 3 1/2 cups sweet cherries, pitted (If using frozen defrost in the microwave first, add in any juice along with the cherries)*

Instructions

  1. FOR THE RIBS:
  2. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Mix the dry rub spices up in a small bowl.
  3. Prepare the ribs by using paper towels to pat them mostly dry. Rub the spice rub mixture onto both sides of the ribs, and the ends. Make sure to actually massage the spices into the meat.
  4. Wrap the ribs tightly in aluminum foil. I tend to use two large pieces of foil. You want to make sure there are no holes where the meat juices can escape from. This is a really important step to help the ribs to stay nice and tender because it locks all of the juices in with the ribs as they are cooking. Place the wrapped ribs into a large baking dish.
  5. Cook in the oven for 2 to 2 ½ hours. I know you will be tempted to peak at the ribs during this time, but resist the urge until you hit the 2 hour mark, you don’t want to let any of that moisture escape from the foil packet. You know the ribs are done cooking when you see the meat has exposed some bone on the edges, and when you can stick a knife into the meat and easily remove it.
  6. Allow the ribs to rest for 5 minutes. Preheat your grill to low heat. Brush a thin layer of the cherry bourbon BBQ sauce onto each side of the rib. Grill the ribs for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until the meat is browned and the sauce has a little bit of char to it.
  7. Cut the ribs, brush with more sauce, and serve immediately with more BBQ sauce on the side, of course.
  8. FOR THE BBQ SAUCE:
  9. While the ribs are cooking make the BBQ sauce.
  10. Heat a small sauce pot over medium-low heat. Melt the butter and add the garlic. Sautee for 2 minutes, or until slightly browned. Add in all of the other ingredients. Stir to combine.
  11. Once the ingredients are well combined. Turn off the heat and use an immersion blender to puree the cherries. Alternately you could transfer the sauce to a blender to puree. Return the sauce to the pot.
  12. Allow the sauce to come to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. NOTE: as the sauce simmers it will splatter everywhere. Be careful when stirring that you don’t get burned. Also be careful with your clothes, I wish I would have worn an apron. You know the sauce is done once it has reduced by half and has thickened enough where a thick layer clings to the back of your spoon.
  13. Remove from the heat. Use on ribs as needed. Store the remainder in a jar in the fridge for up to a month.

Notes

*I used frozen cherries for this recipe. I had picked them in Door County, Wisconsin. They are sweet cherries, yet not as sweet as bing cherries are. If you are using bing cherries you may not need as much honey. Taste test the sauce as it cooks to determine if you want to add more honey.

The recipe for the BBQ sauce makes way more than you need for 2 pounds of ribs (I like to make extra BBQ sauce to keep in my fridge). You can either make more ribs, which just means you will need to double or triple the spice rub and use more pans to bake your ribs in. Or you can store the BBQ sauce in the fridge for up to a month. It is delicious with chicken, pork, shrimp, any meat that you want to add some flavor to.

BBQ sauce adapted from my Orange Whiskey BBQ Sauce recipe

Find it online: https://robustrecipes.com/easy-ribs-with-cherry-bourbon-bbq-sauce/

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