SWEET-AND-SOUR BALSAMIC-GLAZED SPARERIBS RECIPE | EPICURIOUS.COM

Sweet-and-Sour Balsamic-Glazed Spareribs Recipe | Epicurious.com image

I love a recipe like this, in which one familiar item (balsamic vinegar) combines with something else very familiar (in this case, the elements of a homemade barbecue sauce) to form something entirely new. The end result, which gets slathered all over spareribs that have been slow-roasted in the oven and baked at a high temperature until the two entities combine, makes for a sticky, tangy, unforgettable take on good old-fashioned ribs. If you're feeding a crowd, the oven is your best bet for that final step; if you have the time, though, try broiling the ribs with the glaze on top. The rib and the glaze fuse together and, if you take it far enough (just before it turns black), you get a crispy, sweet, and succulent rib that'll be your new standard from now on.

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

2 racks spareribs
Kosher salt
4 to 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar (don't waste your best balsamic here)
1/2 cup honey
2 cups ketchup
1 can beer (preferably dry)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 red onion, diced
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup grainy mustard
1 or 2 teaspoons Tabasco (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 250°F and place each rack of ribs on a square of aluminum foil. Sprinkle the ribs generously with salt, add a few sprigs of thyme to each, and then wrap well. Place the rib packets on a cookie sheet and bake for 3 to 4 hours, until the ribs are extremely tender. Allow the ribs to cool slightly in their packets before opening.
To make the glaze, combine all of the ingredients in a large pot on medium-low heat.
Allow to simmer, stirring every so often, for a few hours, until the sauce is nice and thick. Set aside.
To bring the ribs and glaze together, do the following. Turn on the broiler (if you don't have a broiler, get the oven up to 450°F). Cut the rib racks into individual ribs, place them on a foil-lined cookie sheet or broiler tray, and brush them aggressively with the glaze. Pop them under the broiler and watch them carefully: all that sugar makes them burn very easily! You want the glaze to fuse with the ribs; it takes 3 to 4 minutes. If you're cooking the ribs in the oven, do so just until the glaze begins to bubble, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve the ribs hot with lots of napkins-trust me, you'll need them.
The recipe for the glaze makes enough for up to four racks, so if you have a hungry crew, double the meat.
Keep an eye on the sauce; it has a tendency to bubble up.
Excerpted from Secrets of the Best Chefs: Recipes, Techniques, and Tricks From America's Greatest Cooks by Adam Roberts (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2012 by Adam Roberts; styled food photography copyright © 2012 by Johnny Miller. Recipe inspired by Vinny Dotolo & Jon Shook.