New Years Feast: Spice Rubbed Smoked Ribs with Maple-Horseradish and Sauerkraut with Bacon and Apples
These ribs are always a huge hit with our family and friends, and I cannot take one ounce of credit. These are made by my grill master husband, Jay. If something needs to be grilled, he is always ready to go, beer and cigar in hand. It’s so funny because on our teeny, tiny patio outside we have a huge Weber grill, a charcoal grill, and a smoker. Do we have enough?? Apparently not because we’re thinking about getting a tailgate grill for when we go to sports events, too. Ha. We love our food in this house.
We pretty much always get our meats from the super wholesale store, Costco. Their meats are outta this world. Honestly, a lot of Costco’s stuff is pretty amazing. (Their birthday cakes are unbelievable!) If we don’t go to Costco, then we go to our local Amish farmer’s markets for meats. They, too, have great stuff for great prices. And I have to just give a shout out to Trader Joe’s because it’s my favorite grocery store. I can’t talk about good food and prices without mentioning TJ’s.
So…. the superbowl is about a month away and you need a great recipe for a party, don’t you? I suggest you try these ribs. They can be cooked in the oven, on a grill, or in a smoker. Does not matter. We’ve done it all and they are always a huge hit. HUGE hit.
My only critique is the price of the food to make this meal, but it is important to know before you get to the grocery store. Bobby Flay uses 2 different types of chili powder both of which are expensive (and hard to find) in addition to a whole lot of maple syrup, which is also expensive. It’s totally fine to use any chili powder and syrup you have in the house. Yes, the specific kinds that are chosen do make these ribs particularly yummy, but using any chili powder and syrup still tastes amazing and you will still rock the house in grilling.
For New Years we served these babies with Sauerkraut with Bacon and apples (recipe follows). Mmmmmmm…..
Spice Rubbed Smoked Ribs with Maple-Horseradish Baste
Source: Bobby Flay
Serves 8
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Inactive Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min
Ingredients:
Maple-Horseradish Glaze:
2 cups pure maple syrup
1/2 cup prepared horseradish, drained
2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Ribs:
1/3 cup Spanish paprika
3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
3 tablespoons New Mexican chili powder
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
3 cups wood chips (hickory, mesquite, or applewood)
4 racks pork ribs (3 pounds each)
Directions:
Glaze:
Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ribs:
Stir spices together in a medium bowl.
About 1/2 hour before cooking time, soak hickory chips in enough water to cover. Drain chips. In a covered grill, place slow burning charcoal in both sides of a drip pan. Sprinkle coals with wood chips.
Rub top side of each rack of ribs with about 3 tablespoons of the rub. Place ribs, bone side down, on grill. Close cover or place cover on the smoker. Grill about 1 1/2 hours, adding chips every 20 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of grilling, brush liberally with the Maple-Horseradish Glaze.
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SERVED WITH:
Image courtesy of Simply Recipes
Sauerkraut with Bacon and Apples
Source: Simply recipes
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
1/4 pound sliced apple-wood smoked bacon
2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and grated
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, ground
3 cups apple cider or apple juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 pounds of refrigerated (in a jar, not can), prepared sauerkraut, drained (about 1 24-fluid-ounce jar, drained)
Directions:
Put bacon in a large, high-sided oven-proof sauté pan with a lid and place over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until most of the fat has been rendered out, turning as needed. Drain excess fat from pan (leave in about a tablespoon). Remove bacon from the pan and let cool on a plate lined with a paper towel. Roughly chop the bacon and set aside.
Add the apples, onion, garlic, and caraway and decrease the heat to low. Cover partially and cook for 10 minutes, until the onion is tender.
Remove the lid, stir in the apple cider and vinegar, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to a thick, syrupy consistency.
Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the sauerkraut and bacon, cover, and cook 10 minutes, or until sauerkraut is heated through and tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
