Cherry Cola Baby Back Ribs

CHERRY & CHIPOTLE BBQ BABY BACK RIBS

To really kick grilling into gear this summer, we figured we would dive right into some baby back ribs. I also got some Care Certified pork ribettes from Heinens meat department. They’re individually chopped already!

These ribs are grilled for about 10 minutes after they bake in the oven for 2.5 hours! Need a few grill marks!

If you don’t want to use a cherry cola, you can use regular Coke or Pepsi. There isn’t a lot in the marinade recipe, so it doesn’t add as much cherry flavor are you might think. I did use about a half cup for the marinade, plus halved sweet dark cherries.

We’re only cooking for 2-4 people when we grill, so if you are grilling for a larger amount, by all means - double or triple it! We had 3 half rack of ribs, and 2 packs of single ribettes, which had about 6 to a pack.

The marinade will need to be on the meat for about 3 hours. Definitely needs to soak up the grill seasoning! This is an all morning and mid-day process, so no skimping!

For the glazing bbq sauce, I used Bonne Maman cherry preserves and Robert Rothschild Smoky Sweet Chiptole BBQ Sauce.

CHERRY & CHIPOTLE BBQ BABY BACK RIBS RECIPE

Marinade Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/2 cup cherry cola (or any dark cola)

• palm full of tri-colored peppercorns

• 6-7 stalks of chives, chopped

• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme

• 10-12 dark cherries, halved (pit removed)

• 1/8 cup minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon Heinens grilling seasoning

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

BBQ Glaze Ingredients

• 1 container of Bonne Maman Cherry Preserves

• 1 container of Robert Rothschild Smoky Chipotle BBQ Sauce (or similar chipotle bbq sauce)

Ribs Ingredients

• 3-4 Rack of Ribs

• salt and pepper to rub

Instructions

Mix all marinade ingredients.

Pour marinade over ribs in large bags or trays and cover with seal wrap if in tray, and either in fridge for 2-3 hours to marinate. Flip after 1.5 hours.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Remove ribs from fridge, and place all ribs in foil to make foil packets that sit in baking trays to where they fit neatly and not too crowded.

Mix the BBQ glaze and set aside 25% of it for grilling.

With the remaining 75%, use sparingly to baste all ribs on both sides until you cover them all, then start spreading liberally to coat more.

Once coated with the glaze, seat the packets of foil with another layer of foil and fold over all edges so the ribs can cook in oven.

Place ribs in oven and bake for 2.5 hours.

Once they are done, remove from oven, and let them sit for at least 45 minutes so that they don’t fall apart when you grill them.

Set outdoor grill to medium heat, around 375°F, and direct heat.

You will only be cooking these about 5 minutes on each side to get some grill marks. Use the first 25% of glaze you set aside at the beginning to baste as you flip.

Enjoy!