BLUEBERRY-CHERRY BBQ BABY BACK RIBS

Blueberry-Cherry BBQ Baby Back Ribs image

The homemade cherry-berry sauce in this recipe gets depth and heat from canned chipotle chile in adobo (and a tiny bit of the adobo sauce) -- no ketchup in this BBQ! The fresh fruit brings a brightness that pairs wonderfully with the smoky, falling-off-the-bone-tender ribs.

Provided by Food Network

Categories main-dish

Time 3h

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 19

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Ingredients

Two 2-pound racks baby back ribs (about 4 pounds total)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon mustard powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, diced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups fresh or frozen pitted dark sweet cherries
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup chicken broth or water
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo, chopped, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (seed the chile if you prefer a mild sauce)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard

Steps:

For the ribs: Position an oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Peel the thin membrane off of the back side of the ribs and discard.
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, coriander, paprika, mustard, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Sprinkle evenly all over both sides of the ribs. Wrap each rack of ribs in a separate piece of aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
For the blueberry-cherry BBQ sauce: Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the coriander and cinnamon and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the cherries, blueberries, chicken broth, cider vinegar, brown sugar, chipotle chile and adobo sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer, mashing the cherries and blueberries with a potato masher halfway through to release their juices, until the fruit is softened and the mixture is saucelike, about 15 minutes.
Let the sauce cool briefly. Then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth (see Cook's Note). Return to the saucepan and stir in the Dijon. The sauce should nicely coat the back of a spoon. If the sauce is too thin, bring it back to a simmer and continue to reduce until the correct consistency. Reserve 1 cup in a bowl for glazing. Set aside the remainder in the saucepan and cover to keep warm.
Once the ribs have baked 1 1/2 hours, carefully place each rack on its own baking sheet. Unwrap the ribs from the foil, keeping the foil on the baking sheet as a liner of sorts. Brush the ribs with the reserved 1 cup BBQ sauce and bake until nicely browned and tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, basting once more with sauce halfway through, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the broiler. Brush another layer of sauce on each rack of ribs and place one of the racks under the broiler until the sauce is caramelized and lightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes (be sure to watch as all broilers vary!). Repeat with the second rack of ribs.
Transfer the reserved sauce from the saucepan to small bowls. Slice into individual ribs and serve with the sauce for dipping.