Peachy Cola Ribs

I can't believe that for the second month in a row, I almost missed a month of the the Improv Cooking Challenge. Last month I had difficulty getting my act together to just get on the computer and blog, and this month, though I'm more "together", the motherboard on my laptop died so I'm all out of sorts without my computer and I'm now blogging from my iPad mini with pictures from my iPhone. As far as cooking for this challenge, well that was done well in advance, so I'm not a total slacker. After 21 consecutive months of participating and posting with the Improv Cooking Challenge I would have hated to miss a month so I'm glad that I got I this post up, a little late but still within the time frame of the challenge.

This month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the specified ingredients of peaches & herbs! It took me a little while to decide on the direction I wanted to go with the ingredients, sweet or savory and what exactly to make. I did do a bit of back and forth thinking of cobblers and drinks but in the end I decided to make ribs which I would be cook in a spice, herb & cola braising liquid and then slather with a peach & cola BBQ sauce.

The night that I made the ribs we had guests over for dinner and the ribs were a big hit all around. The flavors of the braising liquid really permeated the meat and the BBQ sauce was the perfect accompaniment. Because I braised the ribs I was able to get that part of the cooking done before our guests arrived and then it was a quick finish on the grill with the BBQ sauce right before serving. The ribs were fall off the bone tender and totally delicious! I hope that you'll give this recipe a try

Peachy Cola Ribs

• 1 rack pork ribs, cut into serving portions of 2-3 ribs each
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 10 large basil leaves, julienned
• 1 1/2 tsp allspice
• 2 TBS. grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 can cola
• 1lb. frozen peaches, thawed
• 18 oz. Sweet Baby Ray's Cola-Q BBQ Sauce

In a medium sauce pan stir together the garlic, onion, basil, allspice, ginger, red pepper flakes, bay leaves & cola. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally and simmer until reduced by half.

Place the peaches & BBQ sauce into a blender and process until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Add the reduced braising liquid to the prepared pan and place the ribs curved side up on top of the liquid. Brush the ribs lightly with the peachy BBQ sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place into the preheated oven. Cook the ribs for 90 minutes and then check to see if they are fall off the bone tender. Cook an additional 20 minutes if needed. Remove from the oven and pour off fat & braising liquid.

Heat grill to medium high. Brush the BBQ sauce over all surfaces of the ribs. Place the ribs on the hot grill and cook until the BBQ sauce caramelizes, turning the ribs as needed. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

June 2013 Fish & Chips: Salt &Vinegar Crab Cakes
May 2013 Cinnamon & Sugar: Cinnamon Bun Cookie Bars
April 2013 Bacon & Eggs: Mini Bacon & Swiss Quiche Cups
March 2013 Carrots & Peas: Mom’s Beef Vegetable Soup
February 2013 Hearts & Flours: Three Ingredient Fudgy Nutella Brownie Bites
January 2013 Bananas & Nutmeg: Baked Bananas
December 2012 Chocolate & Marshmallows: White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark
November 2012 Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp
October 2012 Oatmeal & Raisins: S’mores Granola Bars
September 2012 Zucchini & Brown Sugar: Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar
August 2012 Tomatoes & Peppers: French Fries Hash Browns
July 2012 Corn & Butter: Fritos Crusted Pollock
June 2012 Cherries & Almonds: Dried Cherry Almond Tart
May 2012 Strawberries & Cream: Strawberry Soup
April 2012 Peanut butter & Jelly: Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars
March 2012 Potato & Cheese: Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole
February 2012 Ginger & Carrots: Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream: Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries: Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese: Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
October 2011 Caramel & Apples: Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies