Hickory-Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Vidalia Onion Sauce
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Makes 8 servings
Make-Ahead: The ribs can be wrapped and refrigerated 1 day ahead. The
cooked ribs can be made up to 4 hours ahead.
This is a spicer version of my usual barbecued ribs with a somewhat
sweeter sauce. The trick is to wrap the ribs in aluminum foil, then
grill the ribs in the foil so they have a chance to cook in their own
juices. (The ribs can even be prepared a few hours ahead at this
point.) The ribs are then unwrapped and grilled again with lots of
hickory smoke, and brushed with a sweet-tangy sauce to give them a
glaze. Give them a try.
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
7 pounds back-back ribs, cut into 6 slabs
2 cup hickory chips, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
- For the ribs, mix the chili powder and salt in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the ribs with the spice mixture. Wrap each slab of ribs in a
double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil. (The wrapped ribs can be
refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.)
- Build a charcoal fire in an outdoor grill and let burn until the
coals are covered with white ash (see Note). For a gas grill, preheat
the grill on High, then turn the burners to Medium.
- Place the foil-wrapped ribs on the grill and cover. Grill for 25
minutes. Carefully turn the packets, being careful not to pierce the
foil. Cover and grill until the ribs are tender (open a packet to
check), about 25 minutes more. Remove the packets from the grill. (The
ribs can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead, cooled in the foil, and
refrigerated.) Unwrap the ribs, discarding the juices.
- For a charcoal grill, add about 3 pounds fresh charcoal briquets to
the fire and let burn until covered with white ash. Sprinkle the
drained chips over the grill--they will begin to smoke almost
immediately. For a gas grill, place the drained chips on a piece of
aluminum foil. Place the foil directly on the source of heat and let
burn until the chips begin to smoke (be patient, as some grills take
much longer than others). Be sure you have good head of smoke before
adding the ribs to the grill.
- Place the unwrapped ribs on the grill. Brush the top of the ribs
with some of the sauce and cover. Grill until the underside is browned,
about 5 minutes. Turn the ribs and brush again with sauce. Cover and
grill until the sauce on the underside is glazed, about 3 minutes. Turn
and grill again until the other side is glazed, about 3 minutes.
Transfer the ribs to a cutting board and let stand for a few minutes.
- Cut the slabs into individual ribs and transfer to a serving
platter. Serve hot, with the remaining sauce passed on the side.
Note: Master grillers argue over the benefits of hardwood charcoal versus charcoal briquets (gas grill fans are left out of this discussion). Hardwood charcoal does have superior flavor, but it burns very quickly, and you have ashes before you know what happened. For this recipe, charcoal briquets are best, because they burn more slowly and evenly, allowing the ribs to cook for 50 minutes without adding more charcoal to the fire. If you insist on using hardwood charcoal, add a couple of handfuls of fresh charcoal to the fire after 25 minutes to maintain a moderate heat.
Vidalia Onion BBQ Sauce
Makes about 6 cups
Make-Ahead: The sauce can be made 2weeks ahead.
You'll find some kind of sweet onion (such as Maui, Walla Walla, or
Texas Sweets) available at any time of the year, but late spring is the
time for Georgia's Vidalia onions. While their inherent sweetness is a
fine accent to smoky ribs, keep this sauce in mind for chicken, too. If
you have leftover sauce after cooking the ribs, serve it one the side as
a dip, or refrigerate it for another meal. It keeps very well.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium sweet onions, such as Vidalia, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Two 10-ounce jars sugarless peach fruit spread made with fruit juice
Two 12-ounce jars American-style chili sauce
2/3 cup spicy brown mustard
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup light (unsulfured) molasses
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- To make the sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed, medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cover. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, uncovered, until it gives off its fragrance, about 2 minutes. Stir in the peach fruit spread, chili sauce, mustard, molasses, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often to avoid scorching, until lightly thickened, about 30 minutes. (The sauce can be prepared up to 2weeks ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated.)
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