What better way to enjoy the Super Bowl than to gather friends and family and serve plenty of delicious comfort food? A platter of ribs with sides of cornbread and coleslaw is sure to keep guests coming back for more.
INGREDIENTS
THE RIBS
¼ cup dry rubbed sage
½ cup chili powder
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried mustard
3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne or dried chipotle powder (optional, to taste)
3-pound rack of St. Louis-style ribs
Mix the dry ingredients together and store in an airtight container. The recipe makes enough rub to coat two racks of ribs.
THE GLAZE
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
Juices from cooking pan
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
CORNBREAD
1 ear of fresh corn, or one cup of frozen corn toasted in the oven
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons of milk powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
5 ounces water
¼ teaspoon vanilla
11/3 cups bread flour
5 ounces cornmeal
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 ounces corn oil
Butter for the baking pan
1 egg, beaten well, for the egg wash
Shredded cheddar and sliced scallions
NORTH CAROLINA VINEGAR SLAW
½ head white cabbage, sliced very thin
2 large carrots, julienned
1 red onion, sliced very thin
2 cups apple cider vinegar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
1 jalapeno chili, sliced thin
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
1 cup Dijon mustard
Toss all ingredients together and marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
TO MAKE THE RIBS
1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Liberally coat both sides of each rack of ribs with the spice mixture. Arrange the ribs on a sheet tray.
2. Bake for 4 hours or until the ends of the rib bones protrude from the surrounding meat by about ¼ inch, and the bones can wiggle loose
from the cooked meat. The meat should be so tender that it comes off the bone easily. Brush with glaze.
Note: Fully cooked ribs can be frozen and slowly reheated in an oven at 300 degrees.
TO MAKE THE CORNBREAD
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Shuck the ear of corn and roast in the oven for ½ hour. Remove kernels from the cob, and chop in a food processor or with a knife.
3. Combine the rest of the ingredients except the butter and the egg wash in a mixer with a whip attachment. Whip for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula, and then whip again for one minute.
4. Butter a 9-inch-by-12-inch baking pan, line it with parchment paper, then butter and flour the parchment paper. Fill the pan with batter.
5. Bake until golden brown. Brush surface of the cornbread with egg wash, sprinkle with shredded cheddar and scallions and return to the oven for 3 minutes. Turn out onto a rack and cool.
