Does anything scream Memorial Day weekend more than grilling out? These Grilled Ribs with Peach Bourbon BBQ sauce are the perfect addition to any summer holiday. Sweet and savory with a little smoke and spice. Slow cooked until the meat is falling off the bone and then crisped up on the grill.
Last weekend I was gifted these ribs from my in-laws. The grill master himself, my husbands step-dad, gave us step by step instructions to make the perfect ribs. The key is slow cooking the ribs all day in the oven and then transferring them to the grill so they are so tender but crispy on the outside.
You’ll start by prepping the ribs. Rinse them down and pat them until they are completely dry. We did use a rib rub that we bought at a very small store in the middle of nowhere Michigan (shout out to Hearty Harvest!) You can use your favorite rub or simply just use salt and the garlic and herbs. If you are using salt liberally salt each side. Add the garlic and thyme on top of the ribs.
Next you’ll wrap the ribs with foil. This is important so that the ribs cook in their own juices. Place the ribs in the oven with the back facing down so it creates a U shape. That way the juices will all sit in the meat. The ribs will cook for 5 hours on 250 degrees. This is the perfect amount of time to be productive around the house, or binge watch a show and do nothing for 5 hours.
The Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce is up next. I love this sauce because it is just so summery and fragrant. Peaches are reduced with chipotle, jalapeno and onion and then simmered in spices and sauces. Once everything is softened and smells amazing all you do is blend and slaber on the ribs. I used an immersion blender (I use this one here) so that I didn’t have to transfer to my blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender just carefully transfer to a blender and blend until very smooth.
I used frozen peaches for 2 reasons. One, I live in Chicago and they aren’t in season yet and two because they are already pitted with the skins removed. I’ve made this many times with fresh peaches in July and August and it’s amazing. You will just need to boil the peaches down first, let them cool and then remove the skins before chopping.
Once the ribs are done slow cooking you just crisp them a bit on the grill. We used a grill mat (I use this one here) so that the meat doesn’t fall into the grill. The ribs will be falling off the bone at this point and its an easy way to prevent this. The ribs are already cooked from the oven, so grill to your liking of how crispy you want them. We grilled ours for around 5 minutes. Once crisp you just coat them with more bbq sauce and serve. We served ours with these cornbread muffins from Love and Lemons, sweet potato fries and beerditas. (recipe here)
Ingredients
Ribs
- 2 racks of ribs
- 5 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
- 10 sprigs of thyme
- salt
- pepper
- rib rub (optional, see notes)
Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce
- 1 lb frozen peaches (you can use 2 fresh peaches if they are in season! see notes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 4 cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup filtered water
- 3 tablespoons bourbon, I used Bullet
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon brown Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- salt, to taste
Instructions
Prepping the Ribs
- Preheat the oven to 250°F. Rinse the racks of ribs with cold water to remove any grit. Pat dry.
- Place a sheet of aluminium foil that's about 4 inches longer than the ribs on each side. Sprinkle the ribs liberally with either rib rub (see notes) or salt on each side. Place the sliced garlic and thyme on top of the ribs.
- Place another sheet of aluminum foil on top of the ribs. Fold the aluminium foil in, starting on the sides, so the ribs are packaged up and no juices can escape. Place the packaged ribs on a baking sheet with the back of the ribs down, so they make a U shape. It's important they are placed like this so that they can sit in their juices. Place in the oven and slow cook for 5 hours.
- While the ribs are cooking make the Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce. Place the peaches on a cutting board and roughly chop them. (If you are using fresh peaches see notes above)
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the olive oil. When hot add the onion. Cook until translucent, around 5 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, chipotle pepper and peaches. Cook an additional 5 minutes until everything has softened up. Add the apple cider vinegar, water, bourbon, tomato paste, honey, Dijon Mustard, light brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer and and then cover and turn the heat to low. Cook covered for an additional 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken up a bit.
- With an immersion blender, blend the sauce together. If you do not have an immersion blender carefully transfer the sauce to a regular blender and blend until smooth, then transfer back to the pot.
- Preheat your grill on medium heat and place a grill mat down. After 5 hours remove the ribs from the oven. Cover them liberally with the BBQ sauce. Transfer them to the grill and cook for an additional 5 minutes so they crisp up a bit. Pull them off the grill and cover with more sauce. Serve hot.