Peach BBQ Pork Ribs

Article first published as Peach BBQ Pork Ribs on Blogcritics.

We've been lucky here in Chicago to have some nice, warm days. It's quite a tease since we just started spring not too long ago. Despite the warmer temps, we haven't fired up our grill just yet but I certainly hope we do soon! With grilling on the brain, I've been thinking about ribs... a lot. So to feed that craving, I made these Peach BBQ Pork Ribs to get an early taste of summer.

BBQ is a religion or way of life for some. There's so much to consider when properly BBQing - smoke, fire, time, seasoning, sauces, etc. But this recipe is quite easy to embrace for the rest of us who just like pork ribs with BBQ sauce. To give it some sweetness, peach nectar is incorporated in the BBQ sauce. The BBQ rub is also easy and is probably already lurking in your spice pantry. This makes for a nice meal in the interim while waiting for summer to officially start!

Peach BBQ Pork Ribs
recipe from The Neelys

BBQ Dry Rub
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

For the dry rub: Add the ingredients to a bowl and stir until thoroughly incorporated; set aside.


Peach BBQ Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 small shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon reserved BBQ Dry Rub, see recipe above
2 cups ketchup
2 cups peach nectar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1/2 lemon, juiced

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced shallot and garlic and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and the reserved peach rub and stir with a wooden spoon until fragrant. Stir in the ketchup, peach nectar, mustard, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire and lemon juice.

Bring the ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Reserve 1/2 cup of sauce and use remaining in recipe as follows.


BBQ Ribs:
4 pounds pork baby back ribs
2-3 tablespoons BBQ dry rub mixture, see recipe above
Peach BBQ sauce, see recipe above

Season ribs with 2-3 tablespoons of BBQ rub mixture. Place in slow cooker along with Peach BBQ Sauce. Cover, and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours, or until ribs are tender.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Transfer ribs from crockpot to baking sheet and baste with reserved Peach BBQ Sauce. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove them from the oven and sprinkle the slabs with some additional rub and slice it into portions. Cut each slab into individual ribs and coat with the Peach BBQ Sauce. Arrange on a serving platter and serve.