Monday, June 20, 2011

Country Ribs with Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We took a stroll down memory lane this weekend. At Bob's suggestion, I made old-fashioned country ribs for our dinner this evening. These were the spareribs of our childhood. I was raised in an ethnically diverse neighborhood where economic constraints and large families made spareribs an impossibly expensive choice for a family meal. A small rack of ribs might be used to flavor a bubbling meat sauce, but they never appeared on the table as an entree. There was pork aplenty, but the barbecued ribs of our childhood were eaten with a knife and fork and came from the blade end of the pork loin. These so-called country ribs, resembled small pork chops and had lots of meat on them. When they were baked slowly and mopped with a well-flavored barbecue sauce they gained easy access to the realm of things that dreams are made of. Bob, a rib aficionado if ever there was one, came from a home where folks knew their ribs. I didn't want to botch his Father's Day request, so I used his mother's recipe to bake them, but substituted a barbecue sauce that I have come to prefer. The original recipe come from an old and dog-eared copy of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Coincidentally, their recipe can easily be adapted for use in a slow cooker. The barbecue sauce is a bit different from most that are used to baste ribs. Its unique flavor comes from the use of rhubarb which adds a tartness to a sauce that would otherwise be too sweet for most tastes. This makes for a great family meal. I know that those of you who try this recipe will enjoy the ribs. Here's how they are made.

Country-Style Ribs with Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:
Ribs
4 pounds country-style ribs, cut into 4 to 6-inch pieces
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
Sauce:
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
2/3 cup water
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup ketchup
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1-1/2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2) Salt ribs; place in a shallow roasting pan, meaty side up. Roast at 450 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Drain excess fat from pan. Top ribs with lemon and onion slices.
3) Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring rhubarb and water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Place rhubarb in a blender or food processor; cover and process until smooth. Set aside. In same saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer. Add remaining ingredients. Whisk in rhubarb puree until blended. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
4) Pour sauce over ribs. Lower temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake until well done and fork tender, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. I let my ribs cook for almost 2-1/2 hours. Baste ribs with sauce every 15 minutes. If sauce gets too thick, add more water. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.







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56 comments :

Maria said...

Wow, that sauce sounds so so tasty!

Martha said...

The sauce sounds good and I'll have to try it -- BBQ is summer food on the prairie and we're picky about our sauce!

Maris(In Good Taste) said...

It's a given that I love ribs but combined with that amazing sauce and I am in love!!!

Alessandra said...

Ciao Mary, I like the rhubarb sauce, will ry to remember it when my rhubarb is growing again :-).

Have a good evening

Alessandra

Unknown said...

wow..dat looks yummmm...:)

Dr.Sameena@

http://www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com/

Lynn said...

The sound great Mary, the B-B-Q sauce looks amazing:@)

Tanna said...

Mary, this sounds like just the kind of comfort food I am going to indulge myself with over the next couple of weeks as I readjust to life without the grandkids (just came home from a visit... leaves me a little blue). Evan loves rhubarb and I love country style ribs!! Thank you! blessings ~ tanna

Food Glorious Food! said...

Love slow cook ribs.... soft and yummy... The only problem is rhubarb is hard to come by..

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I have very little rhibatb left after Sundays cooking spree, but this sounds wonderful Mary...finger licking good!

Cooking Creation said...

These look so good! I'll be right over with the napkins! :) Thanks for sharing.

Kim said...

These ribs looks perfect. I'm not a huge huge fan of meat, but I can't say no to a good rack of ribs with a delicious sauce!

StephenC said...

Your posting has sealed the deal for me. I will thaw the country ribs I have in the freezer for dinner tonight. I'll have to cobble together a sauce from stuff I have as I don't have time to go to the store today.

Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook said...

Looks so good and so saucy!

~~louise~~ said...

You have some gorgeous looking ribs there Mary. You know I'm not much of a rhubarb aficionado however, I have a sneaky feeling I could warm up to rhubarb in a barbecue sauce such as yours. I'll be saving this link for sure!!!

Thanks for sharing, Mary...

P.S. We're playing the Picnic Game over at my place. Wanna play?

Jocie's Mom said...

I swear by that cookbook. Love this recipe and the rhubarb sauce sounds heavenly :) Great Dad's day request!

PeggyR said...

Those sound very good!

Unknown said...

I am loving the rhubarb barbecue sauce... must give this a try for sure. I saw country ribs at the store the other day for like $3 and almost grabbed them... dang it, now I really wish I had!!

Emily Malloy said...

This looks so good!

Love the blue willow plate :)

Renee Paj said...

you know, I always see these at the store, but am never quite sure of the best way to prepare them...this looks like a winner. Wow! rhubarb bbq sauce? I want to try it now! sounds wonderful!!

bhealthy said...

oooh rhubarb bbq sauce! so interesting! I made country spare ribs several times the past few years- great idea!

Nicola @ unhip squirrel said...

Rhubarb with ribs?? Sounds insane and amazing. I usually make mine with mango. I would definitely like to try your version. I love rhubarb!

RATOLINHA said...

Maravilhosa essa refeição
Uma delicia.
beijo e um bom dia

Anonymous said...

Honestly these look to die for - what wonderful flavors
Mary

June said...

Love country style ribs and can't wait to try these. The sauce looks amazing!

kitchen flavours said...

Looks delicious and the sauce sounds so flavourful! With rhubard in it, I bet that it makes a whole world of difference! Thanks for sharing, have a lovely day, Mary!

Unknown said...

Rhubarb? How fun and interesting! They look fantastic and I love the country style ribs! Thanks, Chris

Joanne said...

Rhubarb barbecue sauce?!?!? How original! I need to pick up some more of those ruby red stalks!

Rita said...

Love the idea of making this sauce with rhubarb, must taste fantastic on any grilled food.Thank You MAry.
Rita

Wendy Irene said...

My husband would absolutely love rhubarb in the sauce. I'll have to make it for him.

Anonymous said...

Finger licking delicious!

Anonymous said...

Finger licking delicious!

teresa said...

my mouth started watering the instant i saw the pictures, how succulent! my family would go nuts for this!

Ginny Hartzler said...

Wow, I have never heard of that kind of barbeque sauce!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

I am forwarding this to Jackie. She has been on a rhubarb obsession recently. I guess it is too early for it to show up at our farmer's market, and she can not stand the frozen version. So we look and wait. Now I can look forward to a few roots coming my way for a sauce while she makes the rhubarb bars from HER youth she has been craving.

Great post

Dave

Jihane @ Sinful Sundays said...

These look great! BBQ sauce with the rhubarb sounds delicious. I hope to try it this summer. :)

JG said...

Wow! I've never tasted a Rhubarb BBQ sauce. That would be so good.
~Judy

LinksZee said...

mmmmm I know what im gonna try to make for dinner tonight!

That Girl said...

One of the things we miss most about my dad is his ribs!

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

what a delicious sauce, would be great on even pork chops or beef ribs going to give this a book mark for sure... thank you Mary!

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Now this is the way to get my hubby to try rhubarb! He won't know what hit him...but he will LOVE it! I love the meaty country ribs and this sounds like the perfect way to cook them!

Big Dude said...

I don't eat a lot of BBQ sauce, but the inclusion of rhubard in this one really has my interest peaked.

Ellen Whyte said...

Yum! We don't get rhubarb here but it looks nice.

Julie said...

Country ribs are a reminder of my childhood. I don't think I've ever had Rhubarb BBQ sauce. What a wonderful Father's Day meal.

Sandy Guttman said...

Mary,

Thanks for the lovely comment! You have no idea how much I love your blog, and what a lifesaver you have been on more than one occasion. Thanks for the content as well as the consistency. I have yet to make something from here that I didn't gobble right up.

yours,

Sandy Caribou

Unknown said...

Yum, they look so yummy. Enjoy and thank you for sharing.

Unknown said...

I've never thought of rhubarb in a barbecue sauce and I love the idea;-)

Juliana said...

Wow, rhubarb BBQ sauce, sounds and looks delicious...I would be lick my fingers for sure.
Have a wonderful week ahead Mary :-)

Angie's Recipes said...

Mary, the rhubarb bbq sauce sounds amazing! And the ribs look mouthwatering.

Anonymous said...

This sounds so delicious, Mary! I just love ribs, and this sauce sounds amazing. I'm gonna have to try this recipe this summer. :)

Unknown said...

I'm digging condiment fruit combos right now so this is right up my alley.

Melynda@Scratch Made Food! said...

I love all things rhubarb, definitely want to make this sauce, thanks.

Elaine said...

These look so fantastic! I am always on the lookout for a good barbecue sauce and to me it is essential that the ribs be cooked and basted with the sauce throughout the cooking time not ladled on as an afterthought like so many places do. This looks like such a unique sauce with the rhubarb!

Melynda@Scratch Made Food! said...

Mary, hello again, Hello, I shared this wonderful recipe on my Wednesday links. thanks!

The Harried Cook said...

This sounds so incredible, Mary! I could eat ribs every day and your recipe sounds fabulous! Thank you for sharing!

Vianna said...

I have everything I need right here, except the Rhubarb - if I dont make it to the store, do you think I can use something else and still retain the sauce's flavor? I have pinneaple ... thaks and happy Fourth of July!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Vianna, you could try to use unsweetened raspberries, but rhubarb is really what gives the sauce its tang. I know that's not what you want to hear and I wish I could be the bearer of better news. There is, however, no reason that you couldn't use another barbecue sauce. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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