Blackberry Chipotle Glazed Pork Ribs

Since BBQ season is sort of coming to a close, I thought I’d post a rib recipe Mr. Foodie and I made recently after we found ourselves with a refrigerator full of blackberries.  (Oh, the sales!)  I actually got this recipe out of a local grocery store handout and was quite enticed by the picture and the word ‘glaze’.  This came out good, with a balance of sweet and smokey flavors.  Mr. Foodie liked it a bit better than I did, I thought there was a little bit too much tang but I suppose this would also depend on the berries used so this recipe could vary batch to batch.  It was different and a nice alternative to our regular rub with BBQ sauce.  Enjoy these last few weeks of summer and get out there and grill!

BLACKBERRY CHIPOTLE GLAZED PORK RIBS

Ingredients:

3 Racks of Baby Back Pork Ribs

For Spice Rub:

1/4 Cup Paprika

2 TBS Sugar

1 1/2 TBS Chili Powder

1 1/2 TBS Salt

1 TBS Ground Black Pepper

1 TBS Garlic Powder

1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

For The Glaze:

1 TBS Olive Oil

1 Cup Diced Onion

3 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 TBS Chipotle Chilis in Adobo, seeds removed and chopped

3 6 oz. Packages of Blackberries

1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 Tsp Salt

Directions:

1.  Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl and rub mixture onto each side of rib racks.

2.  Cover ribs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

3.  In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, cook the onion until soft, about 4 minutes.

4.  Add the garlic, saute for 1 minute and then add the chipotle chilies and stir constantly for 1 minute.

5.  Add blackberries, balsamic vinegar, sugar and salt and then stir until well blended.

6.  Bring blackberry mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.

7.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 Cups, about 35 minutes.

8.  Remove from heat and place in blender and puree for about 2 minutes, until smooth.

9.  Strain to remove seeds.

10.  Grill Ribs about 20 minutes over indirect heat.

11.  Brush the glaze on both sides of each rib rack and turn to baste about every ten minutes.

12.  Repeat the basting process 2-3 times, until the ribs are cooked through.

13.  When meat pulls away from the bone, ribs are done.

14.  Take ribs off the grill and let rest about 1o minutes, covered in foil before serving.

Elote

Elote is a Mexican street food – basically corn on the cob.  You may see it frequently being sold in some neighborhoods by people pushing little metal carts.  I really liked having my grilled corn like this, it gave it a nice creamy flavor with a little punch.  (Mr. Foodie said it was a little too creamy for his taste.)    It would be a little bit rich to have your corn this way all the time, but it was a nice addition to our little weekend BBQ feast.

ELOTE

Ingredients:

4 Ears of corn, still in husks but silk removed

1/4 Cup Melted Butter

1/4 Cup Mayonaise

Juice of 1/2 Lime

Crumbled Cotija Cheese

Hot Mexican Chile Powder

Lime Wedges

Directions:

1.  Grill corn in husks about 15-20 minutes, turning at least once during cooking time.

2.  While corn is grilling, mix melted butter, mayonaise and lime juice until well blended.

3.  Remove corn from grill, remove or pull back husks and spread butter mixture onto corn.

4.  Sprinkle with desired amount of chile powder and cotija cheese before serving with lime wedges.