Beer-Basted Baby Back Ribs

Some friends of ours have a rib-off every year and since the weather has been warm lately, it seemed a fun idea to try our hands at making ribs. We won the rib-off last year but we purchased our ribs from Russell Street BBQ, so we can't really take credit for them.

Incredibly easy and not time-consuming, here's the recipe we used tonight:

Beer-Basted Baby Back Ribs

6 c beer (I used a combination of Pale Ale, Hefeweizen and one Corona)
2 1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 T chili powder
1 1/2 T ground cumin
1 T dry mustard
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
2 bay leaves
8 lb baby back pork ribs, cut into 4 rib sections (I asked the guy at Phil's Meat Market for enough for 3 people, next time I'll get enough for 4 since we could have eaten more)

Bring first 9 ingredients to boil in very large pot. Reduce heat. Simmer 1 minute to blend flavors. Add half of ribs to sauce.

Cover pot and simmer until ribs are tender, turning frequently, about 25 minutes. Transfer ribs to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ribs.

After boiling.

Boil barbecue sauce until reduced to 3 cups, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover ribs and sauce separately and refrigerate. Rewarm sauce before continuing).

Sauce.

Prepare barbecue to medium heat. Brush ribs with some sauce; sprinkle with salt. Grill ribs until heated through, brown and well glazed, brushing occasionally with sauce, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer ribs to platter. Serve with remaining sauce.

Ready to eat.

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I made a few modifications because I wanted to make sure they weren't too spicy for our four-year-old. I cut the chili powder from 1 1/2 T to 1 T and skipped the red pepper flakes all together. It worked but in the future, I will use the full amount of chili powder and at least 1/2 of the red pepper flakes, if not more. The sauce was sweet and needed a bit of spice to add dimension.

We rounded out dinner with brussel sprouts, cooked on the grill and a Rustic Baguette.

We're going to try more rib recipes in the future as this one isn't likely a Rib-off winner but, this one was voted a "YES" by the family for a make-again.

6/30/11 NOTE: This sauce is incredible on salmon. I poached a good-sized fillet in leftover sauce for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees but it would also work well on the barbecue.