Celebrate the Jayhawks’ big win with these ribs, which bear their name
March flew by in a flurry of celebrating family birthdays, spring break and happy warm, sunny days. And let’s talk about that Jayhawk win on Monday night. Wow – what a game. Now, I know you’re not reading this column to talk sports, but since I’m a KU grad, I just had to find a Jayhawk recipe for celebrating the NCAA Championship.
This week’s recipe is for Jayhawk Double-Clutch Pork Ribs. It’s time to celebrate this title, so invite your friends and make some of these delicious ribs. The greatest part about them is that you don’t need a smoker or a lot of time to cook them. You oven bake them wrapped in aluminum foil and then finish them off on the grill with the tasty rub you mix up. Finger lickin’ good.
If you haven’t made ribs on the grill, this recipe is a great place to start. Truth be told, my husband is the smoker in the family, and he mans the grill a lot of the time, also. But this recipe is really simple to make and is perfectly good for a weeknight dinner since the days are getting longer and the sun is giving us more daylight.
Even if you don’t make this week’s Jayhawk ribs, I hope you celebrate KU’s championship somehow. Cheers to eating well — and to KU basketball.
Jayhawk Double-Clutch Pork Ribs
3 pounds pork baby back or spareribs, rinsed and patted dry
Spice Rub:
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup prepared barbecue sauce (preferably hickory flavor)
2 tablespoons honey
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the ribs in the center of an 18 x 24-inch sheet of heavy-duty foil. Bring up the sides of the foil and double-fold one end to seal. Through the open end, add ¼ cup of water. Double-fold the remaining foil, leaving enough room for heat to circulate. Transfer the ribs to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the ribs are tender, about one hour. Cool in the sealed packet for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, oil the grill rack and prepare for medium-hot fire. To make spice rub, combine brown sugar through kosher salt in a cup.
Carefully open the packet, allowing the steam to escape. Transfer the ribs to another large rimmed baking sheet; brush both sides with the mustard, then sprinkle with the spice rub and ground black pepper.
Place the ribs, meaty side down, on the grill rack. Cover and grill 15 minutes. Turn the ribs and brush with about one-third of the barbecue sauce; cover and grill 10 to 15 minutes. Turn the ribs and repeat. Brush the meaty side of the ribs with the remaining sauce, cover and grill until evenly charred, about five minutes. Drizzle the ribs with the honey and grill, uncovered, just until the honey sets, about five minutes longer.
Recipe from “Gameday Gourmet,” online at Epicurious.com