BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Fireworks are in the air with Fabio's over the top baby-back ribs with his balsamic BBQ sauce. Learn the secrets to making fall off-the-bone ribs on the grill and celebrate with flavor.

Tips:

  • Baby Back Ribs 101: To avoid drying out your pork ribs, use a dry rub first in the oven. Braising them in beer seals the deal. Wrap in foil and bake first till they are almost done, and finish on the grill to seal in the flavors.

  • Grilling tips: Generously brush your wet rub as you grill. Let it coat the ribs as much as possible. Since the ribs are baked through in the oven, you only need to grill 5 to 10 minutes at very high heat to caramelize a delicious crust.

  • Balsamic vinegar is a wonderful Italian ingredient that deeply flavors savory dishes, like Fabio's Italian Balsamic BBQ Sauce or Jacopo's refreshing Balsamic martini. The trick is to reduce it to a thick, flavorful base that makes anything a little more Italian.










Baby Back Ribs with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Recipe by Fabio Viviani

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. smoked paprika

1 tbsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. dried oregano

3 rack baby back ribs

1 12-oz bottle beer

1 batch Fabio's Balsamic BBQ sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 325°.

Mix herbs and spices together to create a dry rub.

Rub generously onto ribs, covering both sides.

Place ribs on a cookie sheet with raised sides.

Pour beer into pan, and wrap the entire pan with foil.

Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, and remove. Open foil pouch carefully to release steam.

Preheat outdoor grill to highest setting.

Grill ribs over high heat, brushing generously with BBQ sauce, until the ribs are caramelized.

Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Recipe by Fabio Viviani

Yields: 3 quarts

Ingredients:

3 cups balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. Tabasco sauce

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. smoked paprika

1 cup ketchup

3 cups of any basic BBQ sauce

Method:

In a medium saucepan, reduce vinegar and brown sugar to 1 cup.

Add remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Simmer for 30-45 minutes.


Strawberry Balsamic Martini

Recipe by Jacopo Fallini

Yield: 1 drink

Ingredients:

3 Small Strawberries

¾ oz Simple Syrup (equal parts white sugar dissolved into water)

4 lime wedges

12-15 Dashes of Aged Balsamic Vinegar

½ oz Strawberry Puree

1 ½ oz Vanilla Rum (Use fresh orange juice for a non-alcoholic version)

Method:

Wash and stem the strawberries.

In a mixing glass, muddle the strawberries, simple syrup, lime wedges, balsamic vinegar, and strawberry puree. Be careful not to over-muddle, or the limes will add a bitterness.

Fill a martini shaker with ice, add the vanilla rum and muddled mixture, and shake thoroughly.

Strain the drink into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with a fresh lime wedge or strawberry.

MANGIA!