I am a very lucky girl.  I live in a part of the country most people dream of visiting, essentially I live where you vacation.  I am blessed with palm trees, white sandy beaches and sunshine, sunshine, sunshine.  When the colder weather moves on and spring finally arrives, there is nothing better than soaking up the sun and embracing natures gifts that are all around us. Fresh air, sea breezes, warm sun on your toes and girly umbrella drinks … ahhh, springtime in Florida.

Keep in mind, this lasts for about a month and then it turns hotter than Hades and the humidity reaches 173% you are stuck inside, tethered to you A/C unit to avoid potential melting your of person, place and thing.

So while I am extremely fortunate to spend my days living in my beachy Shangri-la, one thing This Girl does NOT have in her seaside paradise is a good BBQ shack.  We have a few BBQ chains that my husband won’t even step foot in, a few BBQ food carts around town that I keep saying I’m going to try (but haven’t yet), a few here today and gone tomorrow places but no solid, been here for 50 years and my grandma made cornbread in this here cast iron pan kind of places.  So maybe not having a good BBQ place nearby is not the end of the world but think about how much you really love BBQ.  The sweet yet tangy sauce, the pull on a good bite of rib, the charred end tips… and don’t get me started on the side dishes.  Someplace with history and family stories, passed down recipes and that 90 years old grandma in the back making the mac n cheese and collard greens.  That’s the kind of place I want, I crave.  But locally speaking, we are a booming town that caters to tourists, spring breakers and retirees which means that my fair little city is more concerned with upgrading the old, replacing the non-pretty and maintaining their #1 status as Best Beach in America.  So my taste buds must pay the price and I am left to suffer BBQ-less.

Everyone feel sorry for me yet?  Oops.. hold on, the paper umbrella just fell out of my drink…

So although my plight does not qualify as a legitimate emergency situation, I have had to explore other options.  What this has translated into is that I have had to learn how to make BBQ ribs myself, here at home, in my own oven with no 90 year old grandma by my side.  I have learned to accept and adjust and I cook up a pretty mean rack, if I do say so myself.  But this last time, in the interest of trying new things, I decided to forgo my usual BBQ sauce and explore something different.  This sauce has a bit of an Asian flare to it, it’s sweet and spicy and a bit naughty.

You are going to love it!

P.S… You could also do these ribs on the grill but as I have discussed in my Smoked Pork Southwest Egg Roll post, I’m afraid of the KaBoom that will inevitably happen if I go near my grill.

Spicy Asian BBQ Ribs
Guest Chef Heather

Start with 2 lbs of spareribs and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

I usually buy mine already sliced apart but if you prefer an intact rack, that is fine too.  Generously sprinkle both sides with Creole seasoning and work it the meat with your hands.  Lay your ribs on a cooking pan and cover the pan well with foil so that no steam will escape.  Slide pan into your oven and cook for 30 minutes.

While your ribs are cooking, prepare the sauce.  In a saucepan, add ketchup, soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, spices and Sriracha.

Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly.  Once boiling, lower the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let cool to slightly thicken up the sauce.

After your ribs have cooked for 30 minutes, carefully remove the foil (watch the steam!) and using a basting brush, cover both sides of your ribs with the BBQ sauce.

Recover pan and return the oven for another 20 minutes.  When the 20 minutes have passed, remove the pan again, take off the foil and carefully drain out the excess liquid from the bottom of the pan.  Coat all sides of your ribs heavily in sauce and cook uncovered for another 20 minutes, turning on the broiler for the last 10.

You should notice that the meat has started to pull away from the bone just a little bit.  This means it’s time to eat!

If you are looking a slightly different spin on a BBQ sauce, give this recipe a try.  It’s spicy yet still sweet and is really is a delicious change from the standard BBQ sauce in a bottle.

And if you cook only using one hand, you don’t even have to put your umbrella drink down.

Enjoy!

Let’s Eat !!!

Spicy Asian BBQ Ribs
Guest Chef Heather
www.packmomma.com

Hi!! My name is Heather and I am the happy (and very tired!) Momma of three boxers … Nova, Haley and Ziva aka The Baby and a big ole hooch dog named Porkchop.  My day job consists of doing full-time medical collections for a large, nationwide hospital corporation and when I am not chained to my cubicle, the rest of my life is dedicated to my husband and my pack of pups. I am an avid Halloween junkie, an amateur photographer, a lover of good food, a die-hard Florida State Seminoles football fan and a firm believer that the world stops making sense for seven months of the year when there is no college football to be watched .