Paleo Hot and Spicy Honey Ribs

Some people raise an eyebrow when we say we make ribs in the winter by baking them in our oven. The truth is, I think some of our best ribs have been made in the winter. With the busy holiday weekends over, we’ve reclaimed the last several for slow cooking, baking and food prep for the week ahead. The word savory comes to mind…

I feel like post-Christmas becomes all about appetizers around here — the result of playoff games and the impending Super Bowl I think. We’re definitely not sports people (other than CrossFit), but I’m happy to partake of this trend every year. On New Year’s we made deviled eggs, now we’ve covered ribs and I’m hoping for wings next. Fun hand foods, snacks and ways to make weekend afternoons stuck inside a little more fun.

Ingredients

4 pounds baby back ribs, cut in 1/2
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3-4 cloves of fresh garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil

Wet rub mixture
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/4 cup chili garlic sauce or 2 tablespoons Sriracha
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8-1/4 teaspoon paprika
fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:

1. Rub rack of ribs with a mixture of salt, pepper, minced garlic and oil to help it stick. This can be done as long as a day in advance, but should be at least a couple of hours before cooking.
2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
3. Stir together wet rub ingredients in a medium bowl until incorporated. If the addition of heat is necessary to incorporate the honey, do so. Set aside.
4. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with 1-2 layers of aluminum foil (for easy clean up) and place ribs on the foil.
5. Rub ribs with wet rub on both sides thoroughly.
6. Cover ribs with foil and place in oven.
7. Bake for four hours, or until meat has pulled back from the rib bones,removing each hour to apply more wet rub. For the last hour, remove the foil and allow the rub to caramelize.
8. Allow to cool for 5-7 minutes.
9. Note: If you have rub left over, you can cook it until it reduces by 1/2 and use as a very tasty dip or glaze to add to your ribs!

Serves 4 hungry people.

I served these with a big batch of cauliflower mash, a growing favorite of ours. People laugh when I say I could never eat mashed potatoes again and be happy, but it’s true. I love the taste and texture of cauliflower mash so much more.

These ribs were divine. Definitely uncover them for the last hour, the carmelized flavor and resulting texture from the wet rub is phenomenal. You’ll need plenty of napkins, but it’s worth it.

What’s your favorite appetizer?