To some, May means the Kentucky Derby. To others, the start of the summer
growing season. To many backyard chefs, May is the start of barbecue.
Barbecue used to be a very regional thing. One area might mean pork while
another means beef. Some barbecue chefs prefer to smoke, some to grill, and
some to braise. There are passionate arguments about dry (a spice rub) vs. wet
(cooking with the sauce), and even the ingredients in a sauce, whether the meat
is cooked in it or not.
I like to barbecue, and I don’t
like to get drawn in to one technique over another. No matter the method,
barbecue is just good food. For this month’s POM blogger entry, I’ve made a
tasty POM pomegranate juice barbecue sauce for pork baby back ribs. The sweet
spice of the sauce is a nice balance to the salty, tender rib meat.
Recipe:
Sauce (enough for a couple racks, will refrigerate for two weeks):
1 cup POM 100% pomegranate juice
3 oz tomato paste (half a small can)
1 1/2 tbsp molasses
1/2 tbsp dry mustard
1/2 tbsp cumin powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cherry or jalapeno pepper, minced (optional — for heat)
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
Ribs
1 rack pork baby back ribs
1/2 tbsp kosher salt (or 1 tsp table salt)
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper, ground coarsely
For step-by-step photos and technique, visit fotocuisine.com winner of the 2008 POM Wonderful blogger recipe contest.
