Whisky BBQ Ribs

I got some Jura whisky as a present from a friend so I started looking online for recipes that used scotch. Upsettingly there seems to be a large deficit of recipes calling for scotch, while the market for recipes using bourbon is flooded. I am partial to a bourbon and cola but I wouldn't drink bourbon on its own. Scotch on the other hand needs no such support, being best served on its own. With this logic the superior taste of the scotch will enhance any dish in place of bourbon, so it’s time to ditch the bourbon and rejoice in the fact we are in the UK and enjoy our own whiskies. 

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  What you need:

  • A rack of ribs
  • A chilli
  • A big ol’ piece of ginger (4 cm in length)
  • 150 ml of a decent BBQ sauce
  • 1.5 tbsp of honey
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 star anise
  • A big measure of scotch – 60 ml
    
    

  How to cook:

  
  

  1. The membrane needs removing from the back of the ribs; you can either ask your butcher to remove this or you can do it yourself by using a bit of dry kitchen roll. Take your knife and cut a bit of the membrane off the meat, then pull the membrane off by using kitchen paper to help you grip it.
  2. To make the marinade; finely chop the chilli and garlic then finely grate the ginger. Mix your chopped veg and roots with the BBQ sauce, honey and whisky. Rub the sauce all over the meat and marinade for 2 hours minimum.
  3. After this time, add to the marinade 100 ml of water and place the ribs and marinade into a high sided roasting tray, ensuring the ribs are meat down in the tray. – By using a high sided tray the meat doesn't colour or dry out too quickly. Adding the water to the marinade prevents the meat from drying out, and placing the ribs meat side down ensures that continuous contact with the marinade is made, further preventing the ribs from drying out.
  4. Cook the ribs for 2 hours at 180 ^OC and check the ribs every 15 minutes after the first hour. Cooking time varies depending on the size of your ribs.  To check for “doneness” stick a tooth pick / BBQ skewer into the meat; if it’s got a buttery texture the meat is cooked. Alternately you can twist a bone and if you can feel the meat coming away from the bone the meat is definitely cooked.
  5. Now it’s time to get the BBQ glaze on the ribs; take a brush and coat your now thick BBQ marinade from the bottom of your roasting tray onto the meat. Cook for a further 10 minutes to darken your BBQ glaze. Then rest for 5 minutes before slicing up and serving.