Don’t you just love it when you spy something wonderful hiding in the back of the fridge that needs to be used up and you instantly have an inspiration of how to use it that you just KNOW is going to ROCK?!
Well, that’s what happened to me the other day right before the holiday weekend! I was at a loss of what to make for Memorial day, so I decided to go on a treasure hunt through the fridge and pantry and that little jar of Black Cherry preserves smiled, bounced up and down on the shelf, and said, “Pick me! Pick me!”
Black Cherry preserves were sounding like a fabulous start to a holiday grilling experience! So out I went to the garage fridge to check what was waiting for me to uncover there when I discovered 2 whole racks of baby back ribs that I had completely forgotten about just beaming at me in the freezer! 😀
My little wheels turned, and a plan was instantly hatched! Black Cherry Ribs? Oh HELLZ yes! 😀 This was going to get good…. 😉
Along with my very own stand-by dry rub, the preserves, and most likely some Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce, I wanted something a little extra. You know? Just a little kicker that says, “I’m EXTRA special!” Holiday-worthy!
Whiskeys, such as Jack Daniels for example, are always an easy go-to, but I wanted something a little less harsh and a bit sweeter. Something with a nice southern-style kick!
So I wiped the half inch of dust off of the still-almost-brand-new, rarely-used bottle of Southern Comfort and took the lid off. One little whiff told me that this was the candle on the cake! Perfect!! 😀
But greedy-for-flavor little me, still wanted more! A bit of a small fire in the back! Nothing hot mind you, but just a little heat. I already add a bit of cayenne into my dry rub – – so back to the fridge it was to search for more!
I spent all of about 3 seconds looking, when my eyes went straight to the Sriracha Chili Sauce! My hubby’s favorite!
Oh, yes. No need to look any further. 😉
I make quite a few different kinds of ribs now, and these, are right up at the top of the list of the best of the bunch! Had I had more black cherry preserves on hand, I would’ve made the sauce times 1 1/2 for sure to add even more! Or simmer until melted and happily married and saved aside for dipping! It was truly a jaw-dropper of a barbecue sauce made easily from just a few staples on hand!
Sometimes I make homemade barbecue from scratch, and other times, it’s just fun to play “mad scientist” with ingredients already on hand that help out and otherwise might get overlooked too long and go to waste.
We’ve been so busy-busy lately, that I just needed a little extra helping hand, and this could not have worked out more beautifully!
It eliminated quite a lot of fuss in “round two”, (after making the rub and slow-roasting), so who’s to care, right? So long as it tastes good is the only important thing! 😉
BLACK CHERRY & SOUTHERN COMFORT BARBECUED BABY BACK RIBS
6-8 servings
Ingredients:
2 whole racks baby back pork ribs
For Dry Rub:
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Hickory Smoked salt
1 Tbl. smoked sweet paprika
1 Tbl. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp cinnamon
For Barbecue Sauce:
1 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce
1/3 cup black cherry preserves
1/8 cup Southern Comfort
1/2 tsp. sriracha chili sauce
1/4 tsp. chili powder
dash each of salt and coarse ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Rinse ribs with cold water, pat dry and remove sinew from back.
In medium bowl, mix dry rub ingredients and rub evenly onto both sides of both racks of ribs. Place each rack of ribs meat side-down onto 2 long pieces of sprayed foil and bring up sides and fold down, rolling, until it touches the meat. Roll up ends to seal. *Do this carefully so that you do NOT tear foil or everything will leak out during baking. Place onto foil-lined baking sheets seam side-UP. Bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 2 1/2 hours. Remove and open carefully. Place ribs onto a clean baking sheet.
Meanwhile, towards the end of baking time for the ribs, in small saucepan mix barbecue sauce ingredients well, bring to a simmer, low simmer for 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat and let cool. When cooled down, coat both sides of both racks of ribs.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Oil racks and carefully place ribs onto grill using large grill spatulas. Grill for 3-5 minutes. Turn by rolling over and grill 3-5 minutes longer until grill marks and sauce is set and cooked a little.
Remove back to baking sheet, cut into serving pieces, and transfer to a serving platter.