Root Beer Ribs

Good morning friends! Welcome to another entry to Everyday Meals. Todays recipe is one that I happened to stumble upon. I've read other recipes that use soda in one way or another, but this one really struck my fancy.

We will be using A&W root beer in this recipe. If you can't find A&W, I'm sure this recipe would work just fine with any other brand. Did you know that A&W are the initials of the two men, Roy Allen and Frank Wright, who partnered together to create the soda as well as the restaurant chain with the same name? I didn't!

Well, now that we've had a little history lesson, why don't we grab our aprons and get cooking? We will be transitioning outside to use the grill a little later on, but for now, I'll meet you in the kitchen!

Root Beer Ribs

Serves 4

You will need:

• 2 racks baby back ribs
• 1 bottle (2 liters) root beer
• 2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Ready?

1. Place ribs in large baking dish.
2. Pour all but 1 cup root beer over the ribs. 
3. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons salt over ribs, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, turning once during this time.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
5. Remove ribs from root beer and pat dry with a paper towel. 
6. Discard the root beer in the pan, and wipe the pan dry. 
7. Place the ribs back into the pan. 
8. Add 1 cup water, then cover tightly with foil. 
9. Cook for 2 hours or until the meat is nearly falling off the bone.
10. To make the Root Beer Barbecue Sauce: In small saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. 
11. Add garlic and onion, and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until onion is soft, stirring frequently. 
12. Add the remaining ingredients (including the reserved 1 cup root beer and 1/2 teaspoon salt), then heat to boiling. 
13. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
14. Just before the ribs hit the 2 hour mark in the oven, preheat the grill for indirect grilling over medium-high heat. 
15. Put bones on the cooler side of the grill, bone side down. 
16. Brush with some Root Beer Barbecue Sauce and cook 10 to 15 minutes, then flip. 
17. Brush with sauce again and cook until ribs are lightly charred and meat is falling off bone. 
18. Serve with any remaining sauce.
19. Enjoy!

I'll be back tomorrow, like always. For now, I hope you all have a great day and happy blogging to all! I'll catch you on the flip side!