Recipe: Oven Baked Ribs with Spicy Cornbread Biscuits

These Oven Baked Ribs taste better than BBQ and go perfect with cornbread biscuits.

Ingredients

• 1 rack (3-4 lbs) pork back ribs

Spice rub:

• 2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp chipotle powder

Glaze

• ⅔ cup apricot jam (pureed if there are any chunks)
• 2-3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt (to taste)

Cornbread biscuits

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• ⅓ cup corn flour
• ⅔ cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 ½ cups shredded smoked gouda, divided
• 1 tbsp finely diced red thai chilis, seeds removed
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• Stone ground cornmeal for dusting
• Extra glaze from ribs (or 2 tbsp strained apricot jam mixed with 2 tsp white balsamic vinegar)

Preparation

Ribs:

Combine all spice rub ingredients in a spice grinder and process into a fine powder. Rub onto ribs and tightly wrap in a double layer of tin foil, Refrigerate at least one hour, or overnight.

When ready to bake ribs, preheat oven to 300F. Place ribs in foil package on a baking sheet and bake until ribs are tender but not entirely falling off the bone, between 2-3 hours. Let ribs cool to room temperature before slicing into 2-3 rib portions.

In a large saute pan, heat the jam and vinegar over medium heat. Add ribs and toss until ribs are warm and sticky, adding water if necessary to prevent burning. Serve warm with cornbread.

Cornbread biscuits:

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, corn flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar and kosher salt. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut the chilled butter into the flour mix until is worked into even, pea sized pieces.

Add 1 cup of grated cheddar and the diced chilis, mix in evenly. Add in the buttermilk and stir until just combined, taking care not to overwork the dough.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a ¾" thick rectangle. Layer a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with stone ground cornmeal. Using a floured 3" round cutter, cut biscuits and place on prepared baking sheet.

Gather scrap dough, pat ¾" thick on lightly floured surface, and wait 5 minutes before cutting additional biscuits to allow gluten in dough to relax.

Brush cut biscuits with glaze and sprinkle with remaining smoked gouda. Bake in preheated oven for 14-16 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Serve warm.