Beef Ribs with Apple-Bourbon BBQ Sauce, Sweet Chutney and Chili-Mashed Potatoes
I’ve cooked these several times in month since moving and buying a grill – each time trying to tweak the recipe. I think yesterday may have been the most successful set of ribs because of three things – thicker spice rub, better char and not overcooking. And I really thought the apple in the BBQ sauce worked well.
Basically there’s four things here: BBQ sauce, sweet apple-onion chutney, chilli-mashed potatoes and the ribs. Each one has some ingredient another has, and each one spent some time on the grill in one form or another. The idea was to try and link all the flavors but also make them individual.
The sauce: I took some of the grilled apples and diced them up, and mixed them in with tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, cumin, cinnamon, mustard powder, chilli powder and bourbon. The BBQ sauce was tart and sweet with a mild kick and vague flavors of bourbon and apple. I was surprised, in fact, how well the apple came through in the background.
The chutney: I took grilled onions and apples, rough chopped them and sautéed them with brown sugar and bourbon and a pinch of salt. Served with chopped mint.
The potatoes: Par-boiled and finished on the grill for a little char, hoping to add a slightly smoky flavor. Truthfully, this may not be necessary. I used a mix of sweet potato and regular potato, and then mashed with cream, a little garlic, chilli powder and salt and pepper. The chili powder gave them a ncie sweetness and warmth.
The ribs: I rubbed them down with plenty of salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne and chilli powder. I threw them on the grill and got a good char on the meat, and then coated them in the BBQ sauce, wrapped them in aluminium foil and cooked in the oven on low for about 90 minutes to 2 hours. When they came out I gave them another couple minuted on the grill and they were done.
The initial grilling is essential because a lot of the flavour will come from a good char/sear on the outside. Watch out that you don’t overcook the ribs in the oven – with the wet BBQ sauce and the closed foil you’re basically braising them. The meat will pull back, as you see in the photo of the second rack I did – the trick is to not overcook and let it dry out, but to cook low and slow long enough to be tender. I found that two hours at around 275 to 325 degrees worked well. Also, careful that if you re-finish on the grill and are doing two racks, the second rack doesn't overcook if you leave it in the oven...
The fully plated photo is ugly because the sun was up too high by the time I finished, but I like the full rack on the chopping board. Photos of some ingredients included as well.
All told, this meal came out really well. My girlfriend was out of town so I spent the day eating ribs and drinking cheap beer while watching college football. Pretty much perfect. And beef ribs are cheap, so you can experiment over and over and over...
