Recipe courtesy of Christopher Stonesifer
Cherry Cola Glazed Ribs
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
- Total: 1 day 2 hr 20 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Inactive: 1 day
- Cook: 2 hr
Ingredients
Brine:
2 cups water
1 (12-ounce) bottle light bodied beer
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 (2 1/2-gallon) plastic re-sealable bag
2 (4-pound) racks baby back pork ribs
Rub:
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon dried summer savory
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup yellow mustard
Glaze:
4 (12-ounce) cans cherry cola, room temperature
2 cups cherry jam or preserves
2/3 cup Dijon mustard with horseradish
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons malt vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
Directions
- For the brine: Combine water, beer, brown sugar, salt, and lemon juice in large mixing bowl. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Pour mixture into plastic bag. Add ribs and seal bag, removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.
- For the rub: Combine brown sugar, savory, garlic, paprika and cloves in a small mixing bowl and blend. Remove ribs from refrigerator and from brine. Pat dry with a paper towel. Brush the ribs with mustard to coat evenly. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over ribs and let stand at room temperature.
- For the glaze: Pour cherry cola in cooking pot over medium-high heat. Cook until cola is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 45 minutes. Add jam, mustard, soy sauce, vinegar, and hot pepper sauce into the cooking pot and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the mixture is reduced to 2 1/2 cups, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes. Pour mixture into a bowl and take to grill for glazing.
- Preheat barbecue grill. If using charcoal grill, light briquettes in chimney. If using 3 burner gas grill, light 2 burners on opposite ends and leave middle burner off. If using 2 burner gas grill, light only 1 burner. Take a disposable pan and place it over the unlit burner. If using the charcoal grill place half on each side of the pan. The pan will be used to collect excess.
- Place ribs on rack over aluminum pan, meat side up. Cover grill and cook until ribs are tender and meat pulls away from bone by 1/4-inch, turning and rotating ribs every 1/2 hour. Before rotating brush the glaze generously on each side. Allow to cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from grill and serve.