[simonj]

A totally hedonistic meal, takes time but it is delicious.
One thing I would advise strongly is you might be tempted to add salt, just don't, especially to the ribs.
Its better to add to taste after cooking

This meal uses a cheap cut of meat, but you get the right ingredients and pack in the flavour.
Bombay Sapphire is what I consider to be the premium gin on the market.

YR - Yorkshire Relish sauce is an Irish thing, and its hard to find at times even here - but it's a must for this meal
Without doubt the best brown sauce on the market.

BS&YR BBQ Sauce (Bombay Sapphire and Yorkshire Relish)

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
75 ml Bombay Sapphire gin
150 g brown sugar
20 ml grapefruit juice
100 ml Smithwicks or pale ale type beer
100 ml ketchup
100 ml Yorkshire Relish - accept no substitute (that includes HP, A-1, Daddy Sauce etc. unless utterly desperate)
2 ml Tabasco sauce
zest of 2 washed lemons
5 g chili powder
40 g Dijon type mustard
2 juniper berries
6 g onion powder
6 g garlic powder
2 bay leaves

Method
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and cook onion and garlic until soft; de-glaze the pan with Bombay Sapphire gin, then reduce to dry. Add brown sugar to coat onion and garlic. Add all other ingredients, and cook about 60 minutes until the sauce reduces to half. Place the sauce in a blender, mix, and strain. Set aside to cool.
Spare Ribs:
Ingredients:
4 lbs. pork baby back ribs or spare ribs
2 carrots, diced
1 leek, diced
1/2 branch of celery, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bay leaf
3 juniper berries
Water to cover

Method
Preheat oven to 160 °C. Place ribs, vegetables and spices in a large roasting pan, and add water to the height of the ingredients. Bring to boil on the stove, cover and cook in the oven 1 3/4 to 2 hours, or until meat comes off the bone. Let the ribs cool in their juices, then take them out and smother them with BBQ sauce; set aside. Preheat grill or BBQ to medium-high heat on one side only. Place ribs on the opposite side, and cook slowly 30 minutes, brushing ribs with more BBQ sauce every 5 minutes

CABBAGE

Cabbage is the ideal veg to go with this meal.
In the garden I have a really lovely mild Irish favorite - Greyhound.


To prep cabbage to go with this meal
Remove outer leaves
Slice to a medium strip size.
Wash in cold salt water
Transfer to steamer (I just use a fish kettle)
Sprinkle with the juice of a lime and 1 tsp Caraway seeds

I served this with new potato's and Creamed Connemara Kohlrabi

I was lucky to get my hands on a strong Cabernet Sauvignon (Chantarel) for this, but if in doubt go for a Merlot or Pinot Noir - a good strong red.

Another excellent option is a good quality strong, clean tasting beer like Smithwicks, Leffe Brun or Triple, Blonde is too light for this, as are largers, and Guinness just does not go with this.

For more tips, pics etc. check the blog, link below as always

[Protein]

that bbq sauce sounds lovely, I have been looking for nice home made bbq sauce for the barbeque.

thanks for sharing

[simonj]

[PeterEnglish]

I'm not sure I'll be trying your recipe - my Bombay Sapphire is locked away for special occasions - but I definitely agree about the Yorkshire Relish. It seems to have a much cleaner taste to it. That Worcestershire Sauce stuff (and its multitude of variations) is just too sweet and fishy!

[ormondsview]

Could you marinate the pork in this sauce for a day or so? Just to simplify the cook's use of time and slow cook in oven, then put the pot on a wood burning outdoor grill to smoke up the flavor a bit. I don't use a barbeque because of the health risk of charred meat. Love the ingredients, especially the juniper berries as they're readily found fresh. And they underscore even more the gin. A "pucker" recipe as Jamie Oliver would say.

[simonj]

I'm fairly sure a marinade would be good, but get low salt or unsalted ribs I'd recon