Scott’s Red Stripe Ribs

Although it would be a delicious experiment to add Red Stripe beer to a marinade or BBQ sauce, that is not the reason these ribs are so named. It turns out, quite accidentally, that these ribs are perfect (and I say that without exaggeration) when paired with a bottle of Red Stripe Jamaican Lager.

Makes: 5 lbs
Total kitchen time: all day (with 20 minutes of real work)

Shopping list:

• 1 5-lb slab of pork spare ribs
• 1 roll of heavy-duty aluminum foil (the large, wide roll)
• 3 cups dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp coarse salt
• 2 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp red cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp meat tenderizer (optional)
• 2 tsp ground cloves (not optional)

Additionally, for the BBQ sauce:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/2 tsp chipotle tabasco sauce
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup pan drippings (rib nectar)

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Reserve about 3/4 cups of the dry rub to use for the BBQ sauce.
2. Prepare your ribs by laying them on a doubled sheet of heavy aluminum foil, large enough to cover the slab of ribs (don’t cut the slab into smaller sections). Coat both sides of the slab generously with dry rub. Wrap tightly in the foil and refrigerate until ready to cook (for best results, let the ribs sit overnight in the dry rub).
3. Preheat your oven to 200 F. Since this is an unusually low cooking temperature, you may want to use an oven thermometer to ensure the temperature is correct. Place the ribs on the middle rack and put a large drip pan (a roasting pan works fine) below. They’ll leak, so be prepared. [Alternately, you can cook the ribs directly on your grill. Turn on one burner to low and place the ribs on the opposite side of the grill.]
4. Cook for about 8 hours or until the meat starts to separate from the bone. When you remove the ribs from the oven, the foil package will contain a lot of juice. Reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid in a large bowl. Add the remaining dry rub (that you saved in step 1) and the wet ingredients to make the BBQ sauce. Stir until combined.
5. If you have a grill available, preheat it over medium-high heat. Cut the slab of ribs in half for easier handling and brush all sides generously with the BBQ sauce. Grill about 2 minutes per side. (If you don’t have a grill, just coat the ribs with the BBQ sauce and serve.)

Now, crack open a case of Red Stripe and enjoy the tender, succulent taste of all that hard work. Life (sip) is (bite) good.