Not too long ago I heard from a chef that strawberries could be used in place of tomatoes in almost any dish. I’ve made strawberry goat cheese pizza several times and love it, but had never tried strawberry barbecue sauce.
That changed recently during a strawberry farm tour and blogger event I attended when we had the most amazing Ribs with Strawberry Brandy BBQ Sauce prepared by Chef Jasmine from the Los Lobos Food Truck in LA. It was then that I became an immediate fan.
If you love to grill, or you’re just a fan of ribs, this recipe from Chef Brian Malarkey is a must-try. It’s perfect for any summer barbecue or festivity you are planning.
Enjoy! Don’t forget to check out more of our recipes.
Ribs with Strawberry Brandy BBQ Sauce
Servings 4 servings
Calories 1588kcal
Ingredients
Strawberry Brandy BBQ Sauce
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots – chopped
- 2 garlic cloves - crushed
- 1 jalapeño – seeds removed and chopped
- 2 lbs California strawberries – cleaned and halved
- 1 cup brandy
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup strawberry jam
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Ribs
- 2-4 racks baby back ribs – skinned extra fat removed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup apple juice – placed in a squirt bottle
Instructions
To make the Strawberry Brandy BBQ Sauce:
- In a large sauce pot over medium heat add the olive oil, shallots, garlic and jalapeño. Cook until they just start to caramelize.
- Add the strawberries and brandy. Note: Be careful and stand back when adding alcohol to heat as it might flare up.
- Cook until the alcohol has reduced by half and then add all remaining ingredients.
- Turn the heat down and cook slowly for about 30 to 45 minutes until the strawberries are “broken down” and the flavors have really started to combine.
- Once combined, remove from heat and use an immersion stick blender to blend until smooth. Use more water to adjust the consistency if needed. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can pour in batches into a normal blender to combine.
- Once cooled, pour into a container for storage. Good for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.
To make Ribs:
- Preheat the grill, smoker or oven to about 225 degrees F.
- Place ribs on a rack and sprinkle both sides evenly with salt and pepper.
- Start cooking slowly, spraying with apple juice every 15 minutes to keep the ribs sweet and moist.
- After about 1½ hours, start “basting” the Strawberry Brandy BBQ Sauce on every 15 minutes. As the sauce contains sugar in it, we don’t want it to get too dark (burn) – if at any point it starts to get dark, simply cover the meat with aluminum foil.
- Continue cooking for another 30 or so minutes – until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
