Bourbon-Maple Glazed Ribs

with corn on the cob

You may not get drunk from this indulgent glaze, but you may get intoxicated by the sublime flavor and the supple texture. Just imagine your tongue was a ship lost on a voyage in the wild oceans of tastelessness, and your taste buds are your starving crew, dehydrated, lonely and afraid. The bourbon-glazed ribs are like the seductive nymphs splayed on the shores of a culinary oasis, singing a beautiful sweet & savoury song, beguiling you ever closer to land. Your taste buds are no match for their succulent melody, as they will surely be lured in and crash on the rigged shores of flavortopia, only to be consumed by the glorious sapidity for all eternity. Or at least until next time.

SHOP BABY-RIBS

Time: 40min // Serves: 2 people

Ingredients

Bourbon-maple glazed ribs: • 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup bourbon (of choice)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 tsp ground clove
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• A dash of pepper
• 1 tbsp of corn starch mixed with 1 tbsp of water
• 1 pack of baby-ribs (however you can easily make more or less if you prefer)
Oven-roasted corn:
• Corn on the cob
• A dash of olive oil
• A dash of smoked paprika
• Salt to taste

Method

For the bourbon-maple glaze:

First, combine the cornstarch and water in small bowl, and mix it until there are no clumps of cornstarch.
Next, add all of the glaze ingredients (maple syrup, whisky, ketchup, spices, liquid smoke, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, the cornstarch, and water mix) to a small pot. Bring the mix to a boil, and then lower the heat. Allow the sauce to simmer for between 5-10 minutes, while stirring occasionally. When it begins to thicken, continue simmering the sauce for another minute or two, while continuing to stir. Then remove it from the heat. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

Oven-baked corn on the cob:

Preheat the oven to 210°C/350°F. Remove the husks from you corn, and put each corn in a piece of tin foil, big enough that you’ll be able to completely enclose them in tin foil. Drizzle a dash of olive oil over each corn, and add a dash of salt & smoked paprika. Then close the tinfoil, and roast the corn for about 20-30 minutes.
After 20 minutes, check the corn. If it looks cooked enough, open up the tinfoil, turn the heat up a little bit and allow the corn to roast for another 10 minutes without being covered, if you want them to get a bit browned. Alternatively, you can heat up a pan and roast the corn a little bit on each side to get a nice char. (I finished them up on the stove like this, cuz I wanted a nice char, and my oven wasn’t doing it fast enough.)

Oven-baked glazed ribs:

Heat the oven to 200°C/350°F. Prepare a pan with a sheet of baking paper. Slather some glaze over each side of your ribs, and place them on the baking paper. Pop them into the oven, and bake for 15-20 minutes. You can totally bake them at the same time as the corn.
After about 15-20 minutes, the ribs should be fully cooked, and the glaze should have caramelized sufficiently. Remove them from the oven, and serve immediately! Woop woop!