BBQ Beef Ribs

We go through a lot of phases in our 'test' kitchen. We had the infamous era of making homemade pasta in the early 2000s. Then there were the ice cream, dried fruit, pastry, pad thai, paella, tomato soup and BBQ rib eras. All were fun and brought many wonderful smells, tastes and ideas to our home. While we try to limit our meat and poultry consumption, we do enjoy ribs or an excellent cut of steak on occasion. This recipe was adapted from a battle for the best ribs in Seattle. Obviously, this was the winner!
Note: You can use pork ribs as well. We buy our beef from Painted Hills and pork from Carlton Farms.

1 rack beef back ribs (about 3 pounds total), cut in 1/2
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup apple juice
2 cups BBQ sauce (recipe follows or can be store purchased)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon molasses
1 teaspoon instant espresso or 2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee

For the best flavor and texture, place ribs in slow cooker. Add seasoning salt, vegetable broth and apple juice plus enough water to cover ribs and cook on low for four hours. Alternatively, if you are short on time, you can place the ribs in a large pot. Add the same ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until meat is tender, about 1 hour. Using tongs, remove rib racks from pot. Cool slightly. Cut between bones into individual ribs. (Can be made to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat grill to medium heat.

In a medium bowl, combine BBQ sauce, vinegar, molasses and coffee. Brush ribs with some of sauce. Grill ribs until brown and thickly glazed, occasionally turning and basting with more sauce, about 10 minutes total. Garnish with green apples.

NOTE: instead of boiling, you could also pre-cook the ribs in the slow cooker on low for 4 hours.

Best Barbecue Sauce Recipe:
This recipe has been in Susy's family for many years and comes from The Taste of Oregon cookbook.

2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
1 medium onion, chopped and sauteed in butter
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2-3 squirts of Tabasco sauce
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1 tablespoon parley, chopped

Combine and mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil, simmering 15 minutes.