Good Ole' Southern Fixins' with a Napa Flair

We went to Fresh Market yesterday. We had tonights labor day dinner planned, but we were just going to let it come to us for what we'd make or as the say in Arkansas "fix" last night. Come to us it did. We a saw a sign when we walked in - special on Ribs. I remembered I had green beans at home and thought I'd try my Nonnie's sweet corn recipe. We got home, and checked to see if Michael Chiarello in Napa had a recipe for ribs - he did and we had all the ingredients for the homemade espresso bbq sauce. A southern recipe with a touch of napa. Boy was it good! Sometimes the best ideas come to you when you don't plan.


Baby Back Ribs with Espresso BBQ Sauce
FROM: Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking Cookbook-Signed As Seen On: Big Red Meat (103)
Ingredients
Serves: Serves 6




For the ribs:3 racks of baby back ribsGray salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce: 1 cup honey 1/4 cup soy sauce1/2 cup balsamic vinegar1 cup ketchup1/4 cup espresso2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil2 tablespoons minced garlicor2 cups Tuscan Bar-B-Que Sauce



Directions Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Cut each rack of ribs in half. Season with salt and pepper. Stack the ribs on a foil-covered baking sheet, in two piles of 3 pieces. Bake in the oven about 2-1/2 hours, or until tender, rotating the ribs every 30 minutes.


Remove the ribs from the oven and cover them with foil to keep them moist and tender.
For the sauce:In a bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, and espresso.
Place the olive oil and garlic in a small sauté pan. Cook over low heat for about 1 minute, or until it turns a golden brown. Remove from heat. Add to the honey mixture. Place the honey mixture in a saucepan and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes to blend the flavors.


To complete the ribs:Preheat oven to 425 degrees F, or preheat a grill. Brush the BBQ sauce on both sides of the ribs, and arrange them in a single layer. Turn and baste the ribs as they cook. Remove when the ribs are glazed and carmelized, about 15 minutes.

So if you don't know what to cook on this Labor Day holiday - try this!