For the love of the pig

Though the title of this blog may suggest a love of poultry, we're pretty big pork fans around here too.  Particularly in the form of baby back ribs.

 

And what better way to do Memorial Day than a slab of balsamic glazed ribs.  Sticky smokey sweet fall-off-the-bone ribs eaten outdoors under a low hanging tree strung with Christmas lights.  They taste like the beginning of summer, of backyard barbecues, beer on the sun warmed patio and sun baked skin.

And accompanied by a corn bread salad with buttermilk dressing and the Van Morisson Pandora station they make for a pretty perfect night.

Balsamic glazed ribs
Adapted from Gourmet
(Yet another reason I miss it)

For the ribs:
8 garlic cloves
2 tbs. chopped rosemary
2 tbs. brown sugar
2 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. pepper
8 lbs. baby back pork ribs
1 cup water

For the glaze:
2 cups hot water
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar

1. Mash together garlic and 1 tsp. salt.  Stir together with the next six ingredients and 1 tbs. salt.  Rub all over the ribs and place in two roasting pans in one layer.  Refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Pour 1/2 cup water in each roasting pan and cover tightly with foil.  Bake the ribs for 1 3/4 hours, until the meat is tender.  Rotate the pans halfway through cooking.

3. When done, move the ribs from the pans to a platter.  Add 1 cup of hot water to each pan and scrape up the brown bits.  Strain the water into a saucepan and skim off the fat (I usually don't have too much).  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the liquid is reduced to 1 cup.  This will take a while (make sure to leave enough time for the reducing).

4. When done, brush each sides of the ribs with the glaze.  Grill, turning once, until the ribs are hot, about six minutes.  Brush with more glaze and serve with any additional glaze on the side

Note:  Recipe can be prepared through step 3 ahead of time.