RECIPE BOX: CHIPOTLE MOLASSES RIBS

One thing a big move like ours prompts is cleaning and organization. Having to take things with you, and then move them into a fresh space, really makes you evaluate what you want and how you want it. I say how, because when we started unpacking our San Francisco kitchen, I discovered how many mish-matched, unorganized pieces of paper I had lying around with recipes scribbled on them.

Now that we're settled in Houston, I've started going through the piles of paper and putting my recipes into a book (I use the Martha Stewart line from Staples, because you can add, subtract, and re-organize as often as you want!). One of the benefits of this is that we're revisiting recipes I haven't made in years, like today's recipe that originally made it's debut for a July 4th picnic back in 2010.

These ribs are fall off the bone tender thanks to a beer marinade and several hours in the oven before they hit the grill to be slathered in a sweet, tangy, slightly spicy molasses and whiskey based BBQ sauce.

CHIPOTLE MOLASSES RIBS

INGREDIENTS 1 rack Pork baby back ribs

MARINADE

12 oz Pale Ale (I prefer a hoppy IPA)

1/4 C Molasses

1 tsp Chipotle powder

1 tsp BBQ spices (see my recipe below)

1 Bay Leaf

1/2 tsp Thyme

1 T brown sugar

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

BBQ SAUCE

1 T Vegetable oil

1/2 C Red Wine Vinegar

1/4 C Molasses

1/4 C Bourbon Whiskey

1/4 tsp Thyme

1/4 C dried onion

1 C Ketchup

3/4 tsp BBQ spices

BBQ SPICE MIX

1 tsp Chili powder

1 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Cayenne

1 tsp Brown sugar

1/4 tsp dried mustard

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

DIRECTIONS

RIBS

Combine marinade ingredients in a large pyrex or metal roasting pan. Marinate ribs for 4-24 hrs. Place ribs (still in marinade) into a 300F oven for 2 hrs. Finish on a hot grill, 2-3 min. per side, basting with sauce.

SAUCE

Heat oil in pan. Add dried onion and stir for 20 seconds. Add vinegar and reduce by 1/4. Add ketchup, molasses, whiskey and all spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 15-20 min.