Passion for Pork www.PassionforPork.com

Spicy Maple Tea BBQ Pork Ribs Recipe

Mijune - Thursday, June 25, 2015

Spicy Maple Tea BBQ Pork Ribs Recipe

Pure Leaf Spicy BBQ Pork Ribs 01

I know it sounds like a lot going on, but it only sounds that way.

I was thinking of ways to use Pure Leaf in a sauce and then this came to mind. I’ve tried marinating the meat in tea, but what if I just added the tea to the sauce? I started researching some recipes which used tea in the barbeque sauce, and then this happened!

If you don’t like spicy, you can omit the red pepper flakes and paprika. Sweet and tangy is always enjoyable as well, but the kick of heat works well.

This is an easy yet flavourful homemade BBQ sauce recipe that is great to have on hand as the weather is starting to warm up. The sauce is essentially a tomato based sauce that is tangy, spicy and not too sweet. It is delicious on slow baked pork ribs but it would also go well with chicken or prawns. Slow baking the ribs allows the connective tissue to break down and results in tender, juicy meat. These ribs are meant to be enjoyed eating with both hands, and washed down with an icy cold drink. How about a glass of Citrus Thyme Punch?

Pure Leaf Spicy BBQ Pork Ribs 02

Makes 1 full rack of pork ribs, plus extra BBQ sauce

Photos and recipe testing by: Brenda

Ingredients

Spicy Maple Tea BBQ Pork Ribs

  • 1 rack of pork back ribs, ~2.5lbs
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 cup Spicy BBQ sauce (recipe below)

Spicy Maple Tea BBQ Sauce

(Makes ~3 cups)

  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced.
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, roughly minced
  • 1” piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 cup Pure Leaf unsweetened iced tea
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 150g (½ cup) maple syrup
  • 100g tomato paste (~½ small 7oz can)
  • 400g whole or diced canned tomatoes (½ of a 28oz can)
  • 1 ½ tsp salt

Notes for success

  • If there is time, coat the pork ribs with the Spicy Maple Tea BBQ Sauce and allow it to marinate overnight before baking.
  • The recipe makes more sauce than needed for 1 full rack of ribs but the sauce will keep well in the refrigerator or frozen.
  • Cookina Cuisine sheets can be cut to fit the exact dimensions of baking pans.

Method

Spicy Maple Tea BBQ Pork Ribs Recipe

  1. Heat the oven to 275F.
  2. Line a large baking pan with a re-usable non-stick Cookina Cuisine sheet.
  3. Cut the rib rack in half if it is too long to fit in the pan.

Pure Leaf Spicy BBQ Pork Ribs 03

  1. Place the rib rack in the pan and generously season both sides with salt and pepper. Slather the meaty top of the rack with some of the Spicy Maple Tea BBQ sauce, then flip it over and slather the bony side in sauce. Save ~¼ cup of the sauce for the final 30 minutes of baking.
  2. Leave the bony side facing up and cover the ribs with a sheet of foil. Bake in the oven for 2 hours.
  3. After 2 hours, turn the ribs over so that the meaty side is facing up. Cover the meaty side of the ribs with the remaining ¼ cup of Spicy Maple Tea BBQ Sauce. Bake for an additional 30 minutes.
  4. Allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes before cutting them into single bone sections. Serve immediately.

Pure Leaf Spicy BBQ Pork Ribs 04

Spicy Maple Tea BBQ Sauce

  1. Heat a large saucepot over medium high heat. Add the wine, tea, parsley, paprika, red pepper flakes, maple syrup, tomato paste, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and allow it to simmer for 1 hour or until it is reduced by half. Allow the mixture to cool until it is warm and no longer scalding hot.
  2. While the sauce is simmering, heat a large heavy frying pan over medium high heat.
  3. Add the olive oil to the frying pan. Turn the heat down to medium and add the sliced onions. Saute for 10 to 15 minutes until the onions are just starting to caramelize.
  4. Add the garlic and ginger to the frying pan and saute for a few minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Add the vinegar to the frying pan and allow the liquid to evaporate most of the way.
  6. Continue sautéing until the liquid is reduced to about half, then set aside.
  7. Carefully pour the sauce mixture into a high powered blender such as a Vitamix. Add the sauteed onions. Blend the mixture on low speed, then slowly increase the speed to high and allow it to blend for 1-2 minutes at the highest speed. The mixture should be very smooth.
  8. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed.