Fall Off the Bone Drunken Ribs

 

Fall off the Bone Drunken Ribs

In keeping with the recipes that are fabulous for summertime holidays, these ribs are a favorite here!  I usually always prepare them completely in the oven, but those of you who are big fans of the grill, the last stage of cooking and basting can be done on an outdoor grill over low-medium heat.  The only caution is when the ribs are finished, they will literally fall off the bone when you pick them up as they come out so tender and juicy, so use care when picking them up.  

This recipe serves approximately 6 but you can easily cut it in half.  I have never had "leftovers" as usually they are gobbled up pretty quick!

*A note on the beer to use in this recipe:  Usually I use a combination of beers.  Guiness adds a lot of flavor and richness to the mix.  I use one or two of those during the boiling phase combined with others such as Sam Adams (Combine the Classic and the Black brews and that is a great combo) or Fat Tire.  I have also used Stella Artois, Harp, Bass, Blue Moon.  Anything you have on hand works well but I would steer clear of the Coors or Miller or anything "Lite" as it doesn't have the richness of flavor, although they will work well enough if that is what you have on hand.  Go by what your favorite is, but a combo of beers is best.

Ingredients:

3 Racks of Ribs (pork), cut into half

2 liters of Coca Cola (Coke)

12 bottles of beer (see note on beer above)*  - depending on size of pot you may need a few more

2 bottles of your favorite bbq sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's and Masterpiece combine nice for this)

1)  Depending on pot size, it usually works best to boil the ribs in 2 pots for this quantity.  In each pot place 3 half racks of ribs.  Add one liter of Coke to each pot and 4 bottles of beer to each.  Be sure the ribs are covered, so you may need one or two more bottles of beer to cover, but be sure there is room for boiling.  Place pot on stove top and bring to a boil.  Boil ribs, uncovered, for approximately 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Be careful not to let pot boil over as Coke and beer have a tendency to boil faster than water and although the sugars rise to the top to create a type of foamy "seal", they still boil over easy.  

2)  While ribs are boiling preheat oven to 225 degrees.

3)  Remove ribs and place in large baking pans or roasting dishes.  I like to use the disposable aluminum tin pans for clean up purposes on this.  Be sure to place the tin pans on a baking sheet as they will be heavy and during basting gives a nice "splash guard".  Add 1-2 bottles of beer to baking pan to create a beer layer that is about 1/2 inch deep.  Cover pans with foil and bake for 4-6 hours, the longer the better.  (If you only have time to bake them for 3-4 hours, increase the heat to 275 degrees).  

4)  Combine bbq sauces.  During last hour of roasting, boost the heat up on the oven to 325 degrees (375 if you are only cooking 3-4 hours) baste the ribs every 15 minutes with bbq sauce.  

Serve and you will enjoy!