Daddy's Barbecue Ribs with Pomegranate Glaze and Grilled Vegetables

My dad is a real grill master. He can make any cut of meat taste and smell delicious on his barbecue, and even tempt me to try proteins that I would normally shy away from. Um deer anyone? While deer wasn’t my favorite, it wasn’t that bad either. Whenever we have the chance to get together, I look forward to him barbecuing, it never gets old, and there always seems to be a new technique for me to learn or pick up. Last weekend, my dad was up visiting and on Sunday evening we decided to barbecue. My husband Jon really wanted to learn how to cook ribs, and my dad was going to show him how. We barbecued pork spareribs, sweet potatoes, asparagus, and onions studded with garlic. At the last minute, I realized I had no barbecue sauce, so I whipped one up, using pomegranate molasses. The sweetness of the molasses complimented the spiciness of the pork perfectly. The meal turned out so wonderful, that I thought I would share the whole thing with you. The only thing I would change about it is that I wish could enjoy barbecues with my dad more often!

Happy Father’s Day Daddies!

Barbecued Ribs

1-2 racks pork spareribs (about 5-6 pounds each)
Brown sugar
Oregano
Red pepper flakes
Dried garlic
Sea Salt
Pepper

In prepping the ribs, you will need to estimate the quantities based on the size of your rib racks. Basically, you are making your own rub and you want all the meat covered in a thin layer of seasoning. Rub seasonings all over the top side (meat side) of the ribs. On the bottom side (bone side) season with some more salt. Cook ribs covered on heated grill over low, medium-low (this part depends on how hot your grill runs!) for 1 hour, 40 minutes, turning occasionally. After an hour and 20 minutes, brush ribs with a light layer of barbecue sauce and let cook another 15 minutes. Remove ribs from grill, place on large tray, cover with tin foil, and place in oven to keep warm while you make the rest of the vegetables.

Pomegranate Barbecue Sauce

enough for 1 rack of ribs....

¼ Cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ Tablespoon Pomegranate molasses
1 Teaspoon Honey
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper

Whisk all the ingredients together and brush on meat!

Roasted Onion and Garlic

1 Large Walla Walla or Vidalia Sweet onion, peeled
1 Clove garlic, cut into slices
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Take onion and cut in half horizontally. Top with garlic slices, trying to wedge the garlic into the onion. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap each onion half tightly in aluminum foil and put on the grill with the ribs for 1 hour, 40 minutes . Remove from grill, keeping onion wrapped in tin foil until the other vegetables are ready.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes & Asparagus

2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼ inch wide long slices
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed

Toss sweet potatoes & asparagus in olive oil until well coated. (It is best to use your hands for this part!) Season with salt and pepper. Put on the grill over low heat until asparagus is cooked through and sweet potatoes are slightly caramelized about 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat, put vegetables in serving dish. Open up onions and garlic and put on top of sweet potatoes and asparagus. The juices from the onion and garlic will run down onto the other vegetables. Don't worry, this is what you want!

Take ribs out of the oven and enjoy your barbecue!