Mere Bergstrom, second from left, and a friend celebrate Carnevale with the locals in Venice, Italy.
Mere Bergstrom likes smoky, her husband George likes spicy. Can the twain ever meet? Sure they can! Life is all about compromises, even in the kitchen.
Mere’s Smoky Ribs—adapted from a Penzeys catalog recipe—manage to keep both sides mouth-wateringly happy.
The rub calls for Penzeys BBQ 3000 and chipotle pepper, giving George the spiciness he craves. Mere then adds some smoky Chicago Steak Seasoning to the sauce, plus a sweet surprise.
“I make my own jams and jellies, so George suggested using my homemade peach jam in the barbeque sauce,” explains Mere. “It adds a fruity and sweet-but-not-too-sweet taste to the sauce.”
The ribs are a favorite dish, something she always prepares when her niece and nephews come to visit. “These ribs don’t need to go out on the grill to be delicious,” Mere adds, and that’s a good thing. Winters in Durham, Connecticut, where the Bergstroms live, aren’t always conducive to firing up the grill!
Mere shares, “These ribs don’t need to go out on the grill to be delicious.”
Preheat oven to 300°. Rinse the ribs, pat dry and set aside. Combine the Spice Rub ingredients and mix well. Rub the ribs with the vinegar first, then with 1-2 TB. of the dry Spice Rub. Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven at 300° for 2-3 hours. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes while making the sauce.
Take the rest of the Spice Rub and mix it with:
Mix well and slather the ribs with the sauce before serving. Or slather with half the sauce and serve the other half at the table for diners to add more as desired.
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Nutritional Information: Servings 6;
Serving Size 7 oz. (197g); Calories 470; Calories from fat 300; Total fat 34g; Cholesterol 115mg; Sodium 1480mg; Carbohydrate 19g; Dietary Fiber <1g.
