Fig & Ginger Glazed Ribs

Today was a good day. It was my day off, but I got up early for a job interview (keeping my fingers crossed). Then, I had biscuits & gravy for breakfast (a rare indulgence). I cleaned. I cooked. More precisely...I worked up a sweat in the kitchen making ribs (my house got HOT), warm marinated potatoes, corn on the cob, and a special treat for dessert (check back on Sunday for details!).

It started storming in the early evening. I had the windows open, and the cool breeze fluttered the curtains. Cat hair balls tumbled out from under the sofas. I sat in front of the windows with a glass of wine, just listening to the rain and thunder and wind. Oliver (my cat) sat in the sill and enjoyed the mist in his face. Life was good.

Margaret came over for dinner. And, oh my god...the ribs! "I am a fucking genius," I thought. I'm not ashamed; these were damned good ribs! Margaret agreed; she said they were "possibly the best ribs I've ever had."

It was my first attempt at making ribs. I took the "low & slow" approach....season baby back ribs with salt & pepper, set in a roasting pan with a rack, cover tightly with foil, & bake at 250 for 4 hours. At about 3 1/2 hours, I took the foil off and brushed the ribs with a glaze made from McQuade's Celtic Chutney.

I won a jar of McQuade's Fig & Ginger Chutney on Blake Makes after suggesting that I'd use it to glaze ribs. They sent me the jar. I made ribs.

The chutney is really chunky, so I blended it in the food processor with a splash of orange juice, some garlic, salt & pepper. I brushed it on the ribs, then set the pan (uncovered) back in the oven for about 20 minutes. I glazed the ribs again, sprinkled them with a touch more salt & pepper (the chutney is pretty sweet), then baked them again for another 30 minutes or so...until the glaze was sticky.

Everything was perfect.