The secret sauce and my ribs!

I couldn't stand it anymore and I had to have the ribs that I had at the Great American Food and Music Festival. I am sure you are sick of me mentioning it by now (all of my 5 loyal followers). This recipe is from Damn Good Food I also had to make Mitch's fathers coleslaw (you already know how I feel about Mitch if you have been reading my blog .



Someone found the process VERY interesting for obvious reasons.



It all started with making a vinegar and brown sugar mixture to pour over the ribs. They were then baked for 2 hours.



Next a rub is made and rubbed into the ribs and put into the refrig overnight.




Next night when ready to grill we whipped up some BBQ sauce. I have to admit that I sort of freaked out because it calls for "Open Pit" to start out with. I looked online to see what this was and it is a BBQ sauce that is sold in the midwest. I started to read how hard it was to find and that you couldn't get it in California. So being in the food wasteland I didn't think my chances were too good. I looked for options and found a recipe that was "suppose" to be similar.




I thought the fake stuff tasted like crap. Dr. Food thought it was ok but it made me even more determined to find the real thing. I called Whole Foods and no luck. I looked at Stop and Shop...no luck. I looked at Price Chopper...no luck. I looked at Job Lots (a store here that is like Big Lots)...nope. Then I called Roche Bro. and they had it! No problem that we had to drive 20 minutes to get it. I bought 3 bottles of it. It is a food service type of deal. You add stuff to this sauce to make it your own. On its own it tastes like crap just like my internet search recipe did.






Take my word for it the resulting BBQ sauce is fantastic. Oh and by the way, when I went to the local (down the street) grocery store they had it.



Dr Food slapped those puppies on the grill and did his magic with them. Finally...



I got my ribs! I also made the coleslaw from the same cookbook and the beans were from dinner the other night.



The dog got her bone. She loves Mitch too.



Hell’s Fire BBQ Beef Ribs
Damn Good Food Mitch Omer and Ann Bauer

Nothing says summer like a good barbeque. The owner and founder of Hell’s Kitchen, Mitch Omer is grilling up some ribs!

4 Servings
8 (1 ¾ to 2 pound) beef ribs
8 cups cider vinegar
3 ¼ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups Rose’s lime juice
2 cups Rib Rub (recipe below)
2 cups Barbeque Sauce (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Whisk cider vinegar and 2 ¼ cups of the brown sugar in a large stainless steel, glass, or ceramic mixing bowl, until sugar has dissolved.

Trim ribs of any excess fat, leaving some. Place ribs meat side down in a large roasting pan, and pour vinegar mixture over ribs. Place pan on the center rack in the oven and bake 2 hours. Remove the pan from oven and let ribs rest 1 hour in vinegar mixture. Remove ribs from the pan, and pat dry.

Whisk lime juice and remaining 1 cup of the brown sugar in a large stainless steel, glass, or ceramic mixing bowl, until sugar has dissolved. Slather each rib with lime juice mixture, and sprinkle generously with rib rub. Refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight.

Prepare an outdoor grill with hot coals, and set a grill rack 4 inches from the coals (set heat to high if using a gas grill).

Remove ribs from the refrigerator, and let warm to room temperature, about 2 hours. Brush ribs liberally with barbeque sauce, and place on the grill. The ribs are already cooked, so you just want to heat them through, about 7-9 minutes. The sugars from the marinades and the rib rub are going to caramelize on the ribs, so keep an eye on them.


Hell’s Kitchen Rib Rub

¾ cup hot paprika
¼ cup ground black pepper
¼ cup dark chili powder
¼ cup ground cumin
¼ cup granulated garlic
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp cayenne

Mix all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Place rib rub in a stainless steel, glass, or ceramic container with a tight-fitting lid.


Hell’s Kitchen Barbeque Sauce

2 cups Open Pit barbecue sauce
1 small (1/2 cup) chopped white onion
4 Tbsp dark brown sugar
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp dark molasses
2 Tbsp Warchestershire sauce
2 tsp liquid smoke

Place Open Pit in a large saucepan, and warm over medium high heat. Puree onion in a food processor fitted with a steel chopping blade, and scrape into the saucepan. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat mixture to a boil over high, stirring continually. Reduce heat and simmer 19 to 21 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let sauce to cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Makes 3 ½ cups.