Cola-Barbecued Ribs

By á-58

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 racks baby back ribs (about 1 1/2 pounds each), membrane removed (see note)
• 2 cups wood chips, soaked for 15 minutes
• 4 cups cola
• 1/2 onion, cut into large chunks
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/4 cups ketchup
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from cookscountry.com

Preparation

Step 1

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Pork ribs marinated in various types of cola, slow-grilled to perfection, and finished with a cola-infused glaze are becoming increasingly popular at backyard barbecues and even professional competitions. But every existing cola-barbecued ribs recipe that we tried turned out burned to a crisp and barely edible. We wanted a version that avoided these pitfalls. We found that cola-barbecued ribs recipes that marinated the ribs in cola burned quickly on the grill, so we skipped this step and added cola flavor with five-spice powder. Merely adding cola to our barbecue sauce was a nonstarter. We found that a homemade sauce allowed us to pair ingredients that brought out the cola flavor in our Cola-Barbecued Ribs. Tasters liked the flavor of onion in our sauce, but not the texture. Pureeing the onion before adding it to the sauce solved the problem. No matter how much soda we added, our sauce barely registered any cola flavor. Reducing the cola down to a syrup before adding it to the sauce gave us cola-barbecued ribs that finally tasted like cola.

Combine sugar, paprika, pepper, salt, and five-spice powder, breaking up any lumps. Reserve 2 tablespoons for sauce. Dry ribs with paper towels and rub all over with remaining spice mixture. (Ribs can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for 24 hours.)

2. Seal wood chips in foil packet and cut vent holes in top. Open bottom vent on grill. Light 100 coals; when covered with fine gray ash, pour in pile on one side of grill. Arrange foil packet directly on coals. Set cooking grate in place and heat, covered, with lid vent open halfway, until wood chips begin to smoke heavily, about 5 minutes. (For gas grill, place foil packet directly on primary burner. Heat all burners on high, covered, until wood chips begin to smoke heavily, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and shut other burner[s] off.) Scrape and oil cooking grate. Arrange ribs on cool side of grill and barbecue, covered, flipping and rotating racks once, until ribs are deep red and smoky, about 2 hours.

While ribs are barbecuing, bring cola to boil in large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquid is reduced to 1 cup, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, process onion and water in food processor until finely ground. Transfer mixture to fine-mesh strainer set over bowl and press on solids to collect as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Whisk 1/4 cup onion juice, ketchup, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire, and reserved spice mixture into pot with reduced cola. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in vanilla.

4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Brush ribs liberally with sauce and wrap tightly with foil. Arrange foil-wrapped ribs on rimmed baking sheet and bake until ribs are completely tender, about 2 hours. Transfer ribs (still in foil) to cutting board and let rest 15 minutes. Unwrap ribs and serve, passing remaining sauce at table.

The key to adding rich cola flavor to our homemade barbecue sauce was to dramatically reduce the soda before building the sauce.

Regardless of how much soda we poured onto our Cola-Barbecued Ribs, we struggled to capture the flavor of cola without overloading on sugar. After imbibing several liters of cola, our tasters picked up on flavors reminiscent of warm spices such as ginger, cinnamon, and clove. Thinking that a combination of similar spices might help accentuate the cola flavor in the ribs, we scoured the supermarket until we discovered a perfect solution: Chinese five-spice powder, a combination of cinnamon, clove, fennel seed, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns that is an integral seasoning in Chinese cooking. The warm spice flavors perfectly mimicked the essence of cola, and the spicy Sichuan peppercorns lent a kick reminiscent of classic barbecue sauce.