Malta and Spiced Rum Glazed Ribs

I am working on catching up on a small backlog of recipes that I made before I had to box my entire kitchen and discover that my baking pantry shelves were suspiciously sticky……don’t tell anyone that, it’s kind of embarrassing.

When you moved, did you discover sticky shelves in your baking pantry….or am I the only one?  Tell me I am not alone and I will feel better.   In my defense the shelf was the very top shelf, over the stove and about 7 feet high.

Okay enough about my sticky shelf, let us glaze…shall we?

I got this idea to make a glaze using malta.  Malta is a non-alcoholic malt beverage that I grew up with.  Every kid growing up in Puerto Rico or in a Puerto Rican family enjoyed a cold malta on a hot summer day.  However my experience is that unless you grow up drinking malta you probably won’t dig it at first.

I LOVE malta but almost everytime I have given a taste to a friend the reaction is mixed. But don’t let this put you off to this delicious glaze, it’s good eats!

First gather the glaze ingredients together, because there are more then a few of them.   I know that Captain Morgan looks like he is running on empty but trust me behind the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks there is a cup of rum.

Dump all the glaze ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring often to dissolve the sugar.  Once the mixture starts to boil like a jacuzzi, reduce the heat to medium and allow the mixture to reduce to a glaze consistency, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the glaze from the stove and strain though a fine mesh strainer. Set aside and keep warm until ready to schlep on some yummy ribs.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Exfoliate the ribs by rubbing them down with some Adobo seasoning.  Place the ribs on a baking sheet with cooling grid and allow to sit for 20 minutes.

Pour chicken stock into the baking sheet and cover the ribs with foil, making a tight seal.  Place the ribs in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the ribs are tender.

Remove the ribs from the oven, discard the foil and drippings from the sheet pan, and allow the ribs to cool for 15 to 20 minutes.

Adjust the oven to the broil setting and position the oven rack to the lowest level. Brush the ribs with a generous coating of the glaze, about 3 tablespoons of the glaze per set of ribs.

Just schlep it on there real good!

Place the sheet pan with the ribs (of course) back in the oven, broil until the ribs are browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the oven and lay on a cutting board meaty side down. Use a sharp knife to cut the ribs apart.

Now pretend like you have lost all decorum and decency and gnaw into those ribs like your a cavewoman, man or person….whichever you prefer, straight out of “When Dinosaurs Ruled the World”.

My caveman gnawed on his plate of ribs and grunted in approval in complete unadulterated neanderthal-ness.   With joy we downed a whole slab together and sucked the bones clean.

No judging!

Print Recipe

Malta and Spiced Rum Glazed Ribs (adapted from Emeril Lagasse)

Glaze:

• 2 (12-ounce) bottles malta*
• 3 Tbs guava paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tbs worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Adobo
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 8 peppercorns
• 1 orange, zested and juiced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup spiced rum
• 1 cup sugar

Ribs:

• 4 to 5 pounds baby back ribs (2 full slabs, each cut in 1/2)
• 2 Tbs Adobo seasoning
• 1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions

To make the glaze, place all of the ingredients for the glaze in a 6-quart pot or larger, and cook over medium-high heat. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and allow the mixture to reduce to a glaze consistency, about 25 to 30 minutes longer. Remove the glaze from the stove and strain though a fine mesh strainer. Reserve and keep warm, until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Place the ribs on a sheet pan or baking sheet with cooling grid. Use 1 tablespoon of the Adobo seasoning to cover each of the ribs. Rub the seasoning into the meat and allow it to sit undisturbed for at least 20 minutes.

Pour the chicken stock into the sheet pan, and cover the pan with aluminum foil, making a tight seal. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the ribs are very tender.

Remove the ribs from the oven, discard the foil and the fat and oil from the sheet pan, and allow the ribs to cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust the oven to the broil setting and position the oven rack to the lowest rung. Brush the ribs with a generous coating of the glaze, about 3 tablespoons of the glaze per set of ribs. Place the sheet pan back in the oven, and broil until the ribs are browned and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Remove the ribs from the oven and lay on a cutting board meaty side down. Use a sharp knife to cut the ribs apart. Serve the ribs with some of the leftover glaze on the side, if desired.

*Malta can be found at your local Latin or Asian grocery.