Sticky Coca Cola Pork Ribs

The men in my house are always asking for ribs for dinner. I usually have to say, sorry, I don't have time to make them today, as the recipe that I love the best is quite time consuming.  First make the sauce, then boil the ribs, and then the final baking. However, all that changed when I tried this recipe last night!

For me ribs have to be meltingly soft, and you must be able to almost suck the meat from the bones, and that is where time factor comes in. This recipe however, has you cooking the ribs in a sauce (if you can even call it that - just three ingredients - one of them being coca cola!). You then drain off the liquid, and baste them with another sauce (yes magic ingredient again is coca cola!). The beauty of all this is that they are baked in the oven, so virtually no work involved! Especially if you combine them with baked corn on the cob, and baked smashed potatoes!

This recipe was one that I found in the current edition of Delicious Magazine. It was, however, entitled Dr. Pepper ribs, but I couldn't find any 2 litre bottles of Dr. Pepper, and I thought it a little too extravagant to buy that many cans, so I decided to alter the recipe slightly and use coca cola instead!  Must say they were pretty good, and don't think I will try and look too hard for Dr. Pepper next time!

Coca Cola Ribs
Adapted from Delicious Magazine, December/January edition

Serves 4-6

Ribs (I usually serve 1 rack per person), each rack cut in half
4 cups coca cola
4 star anise
2 cinnamon quills
2 tbs Dijon mustard
2 tbs worcerstershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup (firmly packed) brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup tomato sauce (ketchup)
4 disposable foil baking trays (Saves so much washing up!)

Use 2 disposable foil baking trays. Place half of the ribs in each tray. Put 2 star anise and 1 cinnamon quill in each tray, add 2 cups of coca cola to each tray. Cover tightly with foil, and place into an oven that has been preheated to 160 degrees. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile make the basting sauce.

Place 2 cups of coca cola , and all remaining ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to the boil (watch carefully, as while the gas is escaping from the coke, it tends to bubble quite a lot!) Simmer gently for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until thick and syrupy.

Remove the ribs for the cooking liquid, discard liquid. Place the ribs into a new baking tray. Brush liberally with the basting sauce. Bake for a total of 45 minutes, basting liberally every 15 minutes. You want them to be lovely and dark, and sticky!

Serve with copious amounts of paper napkins - you will need them! These ribs are finger licking good!

So now I have no excuse not to make ribs more often - these really take no effort at all, let the oven do all the work I say!

Bourbon Ribs

In the quest to find the ultimate ribs recipe I am always on the lookout for new recipes.  As you know Madame T gave me a cookbook for my birthday - Cooking Passions : Food for Friends by Nico Moretti.  In this book there is a recipe for Bourbon Ribs - how can one not be tempted?

I know that you can pick up a slab of marinated ribs at just about any butcher - but I really firmly believe that ribs are something you have to put a bit of love and time into.  Do that, and you will be rewarded.  Most ribs recipes I have tried take many hours to make - including some preparation the day before.  I know it can seem a little bit of overkill for such a small amount of meat - but the true "succulentness" is reflected in the amount of time that you spend in the preparation.  Unfortunately my photo of the ribs doesn't look spectacular - I know food photos are meant to entice - and a picture is worth a thousand words and all that - but hey -I ain't no food stylist - and when ribs are heading for the table - it's every man woman and child for themselves - get them out there and get 'em out fast!!!!

Bourbon Ribs
From Cooking Passions : Food for Friends by Nico Moretti

Serves 4-6


2 kg of pork ribs (approx 4 racks of 10 ribs each)

The Rub *

2 tbs packed brown sugar
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp paprika (sweet)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp pepper

Combine all the rub ingredients in a small bowl.

* I highly recommend making double the amount - then you have less to do next time (and believe me you will want to make these again!!)

Line a large baking tray (disposable foil one is best) with baking paper.  Place a rack in the tray.

Rub the spice mixture onto both sides of each rib - rub it in really well.  Place the ribs on the rack in the baking tray - meaty side up.  Place another sheet of baking paper over the top of the ribs and then cover tightly with foil.  Refrigerate for at least 2 1/2 hours - but overnight is better.  When it is time to cook the ribs remove them from the frige at least 30 minutes before cooking to allow them to come to room temperature.

Now to the important part - The Sauce!

Bourbon BBQ Glaze

1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbs fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (ketchup)
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tbs soy sauce (I used dark)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp pepper

This can be prepared in the Thermomix in the following way.

Place onion, garlic and ginger in the TM bowl and chop for 5 seconds on speed 7.  Add the oil to the TM bowl and saute for 5 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1.  Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl and cook for 30 minutes at 100 degrees on speed 1. Make sure to remove the MC and place the strainer basket over the hole - this allows for the steam to escape, and you then get a lovely thick sauce!  Blend for 20 seconds by slowly going from speed 1 to speed 9.

Saucepan method:

Heat the oil in a saucepan and saute the onion, garlic and ginger until softened and golden.  Add the remaining ingredients to the pan, bring to the boil, then simmer for a further 15 minutes.  Transfer the sauce to a food processor and puree until smooth.

To cook the ribs:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.  Place the foil covered ribs into the oven and cook for 1 1/4 hours.  After this tim,e remove the foil and brush the ribs with a thick coating of the bourbon glaze.  Cover them back up with foil and cook for a further 15 minutes.  Apply a second coat of glaze, and cook for a further 15-30 minute, or until caramelised.

These were the stickiest, sweetest ribs I have had for a long time!!!!  As the ole Colonel says "Finger Likin' Good!!!

I promise you, if you love ribs you will love these!!!  Just make sure you have lots of serviettes/napkins on hand!!!  You will need them!

PS - If per chance you have any rib meat leftover - they make a fabulous pizza!!!!

Ribs and all the fixin's

Yesterday was a lazy kind of day - figured why not have a lazy ole dinner out on the deck once the heat of the day had passed.

Ribs - sounded pretty good.  Yes, I know this recipe is quite a bit of work in the early part of the day - but at the end when all you want to do is sit back and relax with a cold beverage, they are easy peasy.

I have posted this recipe before - making the sauce on the stove top - but this time I am giving you the TM recipe for the sauce and all the fixin's that go along with the ribs - right down the the bread that was declared the"best garlic bread ever!"

Barbecue Sauce

Makes approx 1 litre

2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
1 tbs olive oil
1 brown onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tbs sea salt
140g tomato sauce (ketchup)
55g worcestershire sauce
170g vinegar (I used cider this time)
140g brown sugar (adjust if you don't like it as sweet)
5g hungarian paprika
freshly ground black pepper
120g orange juice

6 drops of Liquid smoke (if you can get it - but not necessary)

Remove the hard end of the garlic cloves and place them in the TM bowl.  Process them on reverse speed for for 3-6 seconds to remove the skins.  Pick the skins out from the bowl.  Add the onion into the TM bowl, process for 3 seconds on speed 7.

Add the olive oil and salt.  Cook at 100 degrees reverse speed 1 for 2 minutes to sweat the onions.

Add remaining ingredients and cook at 100 degrees on speed 1 for 60 minutes (without the MC).

Once cooked blend for 10 seconds on speed 8.

We are big ribs lovers here so I usually buy one rack per person - and then cut them in half.

I use the American style baby back ribs.

While the sauce is cooking, simmer your ribs in boiling salted water for 1 hour.  Make sure to scoop off the scum occasionally.  After the hour, drain the ribs and place in a large container.

Add a very liberal amount of the barbecue sauce and let the ribs marinate for at least 1 hour - preferably longer.

Now when you are ready to cook the ribs, place them in a large disposable baking tray - making sure that they are not too crowded.  Add more sauce.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.  Bake for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, basting frequently.

I guarantee they will be the softest, juiciest ribs ever!!!

To serve alongside the ribs you need corn on the cob and baked potatoes!

Now I like to take the easy way out with these so I bake them in the oven along with the ribs.

First of all I made Garlic Butter

6 cloves garlic (peeled as above)
250g butter

Process the garlic in the TM bowl for 3 seconds on speed 7.

Add the butter and process for 30-40 seconds at 50C on speed 4.

For the corn - lay out a small piece of foil.  Place a small amount of the garlic butter on the piece of foil - top with a cob of corn, then brush a small amount of the garlic butter on top of the corn.

Wrap up like a bon bon.

Bake alongside the ribs for 30 minutes.

Baked Potatoes

Simply place the potatoes on a baking dish, spray liberally with garlic infused olive oil spray, bake with the ribs for 30-40 minutes depending on the potatoes size.

I decided that we needed a topping for the corn.  So......

Avocado Chilli Butter
adapted from Recipe in Good Taste Magazine, January edition

1 small red chilli
1-2 avocadoes, depending on size
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Process the chilli in the TM bowl for 3 seconds on speed 7.

Add the avocado, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix for 30 seconds on speed 4.

As we had an extra mouth to feed that night that I hadn't counted on, so I thought I better make some garlic bread.

I have found this wonderful site called Forum Thermomix - there are some great recipes and tips there - and they are a really friendly bunch of people.  So if you are looking for more information and ideas for what you can do with the Thermomix this is a great resource.

I found a recipe for bread rolls that everyone was raving about - Chookie's  Plain White Rolls and then I combined the idea she had about garlic bread Garlicky Bread Plait and came up with my own version!!!

The Best Garlic Bread Ever!!! (as decreed by "The Darlings!!")
Adapted from Chookie's Recipe found on Forum Thermomix

520g white plain flour
2tsp yeast
300ml warm water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Add all ingredients to the TM bowl.  Knead for 4 minutes.

Remove the TM lid.  Get a piece of cling wrap large enough to cover the bowl and smear a small amount of olive oil on the wrap.  Cover the TM bowl loosely and allow the bread to rise in the bowl until it doubles (coming up to the top of the bowl!!).

Punch down and remove from the TM bowl.  Weigh the dough and divide into 2 equal portions.  I simply held the bread in my hand and let it fall into a rustic baguette shape.

Place on a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper.  Allow the baguettes to rise again for 30 minutes.

Bake in the oven (with everything else!!) for 25-30 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool until it is just cool enough to handle.

While the bread is cooling add approximately 20g of grated parmesan cheese to the leftover garlic butter.

Slice the bread (but not the whole way through!!)  Using a pastry brush liberally brush the cut sides of the bread, and then the top of the loaf as well with the garlic butter.

Return to the oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until the top is crispy and golden with the butter.

And there you have it - Ribs with all the Fixin's

All you need now is to make sure you have lots of paper serviettes - because I guarantee you are going to get messy!!

Asian Style Guinness Baby Back Ribs

Wandering around the many food blogs that are out there, you often stumble across little culinary gems that you just have to try.  We love our ribs in this house, so when I found this recipe on Ellie's blog Almost Bourdain I knew I just had to try it!!!

What can I say - they were delicious - and really quite easy so don't be put off by the 2 stages.  The only thing I pondered was what to serve with them?  To us ribs are not complete without corn on the cob and a baked potato - so I tried something a little different with the corn.

Asian Style Guinness Baby Back Ribs

Serves 4

Marinade

725ml Guinness
1 large onion, sliced
125ml salt reduced soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
60ml sesame oil
3 tbs minced garlic

Glaze

250ml honey
60ml salt reduced soy sauce
2 tbs chopped fresh coriander
1 tbs minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 red chilli, seeds and membrane removed, finely diced *

                                 Glaze

To prepare the marinade in a large bowl whisk together the Guinness, onion, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and minced garlic.  Place the ribs in a glass baking dish (or a large ziploc bag!)  Pour in the marinade, cover and refrigerate overnight.

To make the glaze whisk together in medium bowl the honey, soy sauce, coriander, garlic, pepper and chilli.

Now here is what I did - if you want to see the grill option visit Ellie's blog.

* Ellie didn't add the chilli - but the photo that she showed had flecks of red in it - so I took the liberty of adding the chilli.

I used a large disposable baking dish - placed a rack in it, then sprayed the rack with non stick oil.

Preheat oven to 160C.

Drain the ribs.  Place in a single layer on the rack.  Make sure you add the onions from the marinade!!!  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  At the 30 minute mark, brush the ribs liberally with the glaze.  Cook for an additional 30 minutes, glaze again.  Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes - just to cook on the additional glaze!

Corn on the Cob

Onto a rectangle of foil place the corn.  Pour over approximately 1 tsp sesame oil,  small amount of garlic, then pour over a small amount of ketchap manis.  Top with a small knob of butter, wrap tightly and cook in the oven for an hour.

You can also wrap a scrubbed potato in foil and bake alongside the corn - that way you can sit back and relax and just wait for it all to be cooked!  How easy is that!!!

Thanks Ellie for another dinner winner!

So Dear Readers what little gems have you discovered reading other people's food blogs?

Pork Spare Ribs

I have decided that when it comes to ribs eaters there are two kinds - there are the "chewers" who love to gnaw on the bone, and then there are the "suckers" (and I am one of these) we like to suck the succulently tender meat from the bones.  Now there is nothing wrong with being either kind - and I do tend to do both kinds here, but I must admit that given the time I will always go for the suckingly soft version!

On Sunday I decided that rather than the usual pizza night (I end up feeling like "mamma" churning out the pizzas while they sit there gobbling them up!) I would do ribs - they are easy - marinate and forget.  I thought to make it really easy I would go for the "chew" version.  So here's my recipe for easy peasy ribs.

BBQ Pork Spare Ribs


1 tbs olive oil
1 bottle of good quality BBQ Sauce 
2 tsp paprika (your choice - smoky if you like it like that - or hungarian)
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar *
1/2 tsp tabasco sauce (omit if you don't want them spicy)
dash of red wine (to loosen the last bit of BBQ sauce from the bottle!!)
ribs **


I like to place all the marinade ingredients into one of those really large ziploc bags - that way you have no mess!  Leave the ribs to marinate for at least 4 hours.




* Depending on the BBQ sauce you use you may not need the brown sugar 


- I used a new brand , and found that it was really quite sweet, so I didn't add the brown sugar.




** For the ribs - I like to have one rack per person (I live with a bunch of
carnivores!!!)




To cook - preheat a barbeque (with hood) on high.  When hot, reduce the heat to low/medium, and set the flames to the sides.  Drain the ribs, reserving the marinade.  Put the ribs in a large disposable baking tray.  Place the ribs in the centre of the barbeque, with the heat source on either side (you want to cook with indirect heat!)  Cook for 1 hour, or until cooked through, basting regularly.


Serve with corn on the cob, baked potatoes and sour cream and a salad (or even coleslaw).

"The Darlings" are carnivores - so they just love this meal.  What could be easier?

Now if you are a "sucker" like me - check out my recipe for "Best Darn Ribs ever" in the pork section.  Both are good, as I said it is personal choice!!

PS. I didn't get off the pizza hook entirely - it was Mr. CCC's birthday yesterday - and what was the request??? Pizza of course!!  Prawn pizza no less - will give you the toppings for those later......

The Best Darn Ribs Ever!

Dear Readers have you ever wondered what the secret is to getting those perfect melt in your mouth BBQ pork ribs that you order in a restaurant?  Well the answer is twofold.

The first secret is having the perfect sauce (and really sometimes that is a personal taste thing - but once you have the basis of a good sauce you can tweak it to suit you perfectly).  The second secret is "par cooking" the ribs before baking them.  I am now going to share with you a recipe that I think makes the best BBQ Pork ribs!

Barbecue Sauce


2 x 400g cans of diced tomatoes
1 tbs oil
1 brown onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbs sea salt
125ml tomato sauce (ketchup)
60ml worcestershire sauce
2 tbs honey
185ml red wine vinegar
140g (3/4 cup) soft brown sugar
1 tbs paprika
2 tsp chili powder (optional)
freshly ground black pepper
125ml orange juice.

- Now here is the personal taste part

If you don't like the sauce too sweet, don't add as much sugar and honey.
The paprika can be either sweet hungarian, or smoky.
Leave out the chilli powder if you don't like it hot.
If you are an astute "foodie" and can lay your hands on some Liquid Smoke - this will add a lovely smoky flavour to the sauce.  You can find this more readily now in gourmet food shops and it is either called Hickory Smoke or Liquid smoke and it is great for adding to sauces like this.



Now to make the sauce....

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, garlic and sea salt.  Sweat over a low heat for 5 minutes until the onion is soft.  Add the tomatoes and all the remaining ingredients.  Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, or until lovely and thick.  Allow it to cool slightly and then puree with a stick blender, or food processor.  This will give you about 500ml of sauce which if you don't use all of it, will last in the fridge for about 3 weeks.

Now to the other secret ......

You can either leave the ribs in "slabs", or you can cut them into individual ribs.  Either way is good - Last night I cut them into individual ribs - you get more sauce on them that way, and you don't have to continually clean up to cut them with a knife!!

Place the ribs in a large pan of salted water.  Poach them gently for 1 hour.  Make sure you scoop the "scum" from the top of the water frequently.  After an hour drain them well in a colander.

Ater they have cooled slather them in the sauce and allow them to marinate for at least an hour - the longer the better.

Bake in a moderate oven for approximately 1 hour - basting frequently with the sauce.

Finger Lickin Good!!!