EASY RIBS WITH BOURBON (U.S. SOUTH) I'm sure our serious barbecuists will chase me outta the room for this one, which veers pretty far from tradition. But for an easy, tasty way to handle baby back ribs on a fairly short time frame, without a whole lot of attention, this combo is hard to beat. (It's not a total invention, as I read over several grilling and barbecue books before fashioning it, but the overall procedure is mine own ... ) Whack a couple of racks of baby backs (total weight, two to three pounds) into three-or four-rib segments, and put them in a large bowl with a marinade made from 1/4 cup dark soy sauce, 1/4 cup Bourbon, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon very finely minced fresh garlic. Leave to marinate at room temperature, turning the meat occasionally, for an hour or two. Fire up the Weber kettle, and when the coals are very hot, wrap up the ribs in a packet of double-wrapped, heavy-duty aluminum foil. Put the package on the grill and cover, leaving it to cook in the package for 45 minutes. Open the package and carefully lift out the ribs, allow them to drain, and then place the ribs over direct heat. (I reserved the liquid in the foil, drained it into a pyrex cup so the fat would rise to the top, and may use it for some kind of sauce another day.) Close the Weber vents to reduce the heat to very low, and add a soaked hickory chip or two to the coals if you want to make the ribs more smoky. Cook, covered, turning occasionally, for another 15 to 30 minutes, taking care that the ribs don't dry out and get tough or stringy.
|
