Honey Roasted Ribs

It looks like the world is conspiring against your baby back ribs on special. I got two racks of baby backs for 5 dollars each.  But alas.. its raining outside and that precludes using the barbeque.. which by way has not been checked out for spring/summer use yet.

What to do? What to do?  I looked up this oven approach from Cooks Country.. February/March 2013. My previous approaches with this this via slow cooker or pressure cooker were not spectacular. I dumped prepared barbeque sauce on and let her rip.. No so good.  This recipe... which calls for a roasting pan and dutch oven.. for the sauce no less is nothing short of spectacular..  I even substituted a half cup of blue agave sweetener for the full cup of hone and it is one serious marinade sauce... don't forget the cayenne pepper at the end for that kick.. you may even use a little more if you are after some heat in those ribs. This is much better than any bottled barbeque sauce. I could see using this on chicken as well... The timing noted would change. Overall I was pretty impressed with this recipe.

From the recipe:

To get ribs from the oven that actually have flavor, we found that marinating was key. Plenty of honey goes into our marinade, along with soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, and a pinch of cayenne to balance out the sweetness. After an hour of soaking up flavor, the ribs go into the oven covered, where they steam to tenderness. We boil down the leftover marinade to make a tangy-sweet glaze that we brush on the ribs during the last half-hour of cooking. After the ribs are sliced, a final toss in even more glaze gives us a thick, perfectly lacquered coating.
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Serves 4

Cutting the racks into thirds allows them to fit into the plastic bags to marinate. The used marinade is boiled and transformed into a glaze for the ribs.

Ingredients

• 2 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) racks baby back ribs, trimmed, membranes removed, each rack cut into 3 equal pieces
• 1 cup honey (I substituted half a cup of Blue Agave Sweet to make up a full cup)
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce      (I used lite kikoman) 
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 4 scallions, white parts minced, green parts sliced thin
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Vary the heat heat here.. as it stands it is like the heat in Panda's orange chicken sauce)

Instructions

1. 1. Divide ribs between two 1-gallon zipper-lock bags. Whisk honey, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard, scallion whites, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne together in bowl. Divide marinade between bags, seal, and turn to coat ribs evenly with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours, turning bags ­occasionally. (I refrigerated it for 2 hours)
   2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set wire rack in sheet. Add enough warm tap water to cover entire bottom of sheet (about 2 cups). Transfer ribs, meaty side up, to prepared wire rack; reserve marinade in refrigerator. Tent ribs loosely with foil and bake for 1¼ hours. Uncover ribs and continue cooking until just tender, about 1 hour longer. (I used a covered roaster and a plastic moldable green roast elevator from Sur la Tab that my daughter gave me)
   3. Bring reserved marinade to boil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook until thickened to glaze consistency, about 5 minutes. Brush ribs with 1/3 cup glaze, return to oven, and continue to cook until glaze begins to bubble and ribs are brown, 15 to 30 minutes. Transfer ribs to cutting board (leave hot water and sheet in oven to cool), tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. (This step seems to make it reasonable for chicken the dutch oven will allow it to safely get to that barbeque sauce consistency)
   4. Cut ribs between bones, add to Dutch oven, and toss to coat with remaining glaze. Transfer to platter and sprinkle with scallion greens and ½ teaspoon salt. Serve.