Molasses Barbecued Ribs

Skip the bottled stuff. This homemade barbecue sauce pulls its deep, sticky character from unsulfured molasses, cloves, and allspice, balanced by two kinds of vinegar and a squeeze of lemon. The sauce is rough-chopped, not blended smooth, so it clings to the ribs in craggy bits instead of glazing flat.

First move is a brine soak. Plain water, white vinegar, and salt for a couple of hours tenderize the meat and season it from the inside. Skip this step and the ribs stay one-dimensional no matter how much sauce you slather on.

The sauce itself starts as a slow saute of aromatics in oil, then simmers with tomatoes, molasses, and spice until thick. Pulse it briefly in the food processor (never a blender, which homogenizes everything into baby food) and keep some texture.

On the grill, baste and flip every 15 to 20 minutes so the molasses caramelizes without scorching.

Pro Tips

• Don’t skip the vinegar-salt soak. It’s the difference between seasoned ribs and bland ones.
• Pulse the sauce, don’t puree. You want texture so it clings to the meat.
• Molasses burns fast over direct heat; keep a cooler zone on the grill to move the ribs if flare-ups start.
• Reserve some sauce, warmed, to pass at the table for dipping.

Variations

• Swap in pork shoulder or beef short ribs; the sauce handles both beautifully.
• Add a chipotle in adobo to the sauce for smoky heat.
• Stir in a tablespoon of bourbon at the end for a deeper, boozier finish.