Barbecue Spare Ribs, Chicken Thighs or Chicken Wings
- Cuisine: American
- Course: Main Course
Summary:
For this in-house version of barbecue, we've listed baby back ribs, chicken thighs and chicken wings: Pick whichever one you want to make. Serve with cornbread and coleslaw or a green salad.
2 servings
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup thick ketchup, such as Heinz
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon chipotle-flavored hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, or more to taste
- 1 (2 pounds) slab baby back ribs, rubbed on both sides with a total of 2 tablespoons Barbecue Rub (see related recipe)
- 4 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, rubbed on both sides with a total of 2 tablespoons Barbecue Rub (see related recipe)
- 12 chicken wings, joints separated, tips discarded, rubbed on both sides with a total of 2 tablespoons Barbecue Rub (see related recipe)
- 1/4 cup water
Directions:
Set an oven rack on the middle level and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the ketchup, the Worcestershire sauce and chipotle-flavored hot pepper sauce and toss with the barbecue-rubbed ribs or thighs or wings. Place a 22-inch piece of aluminum foil on a work surface. Line the ribs (skin side down), thighs (skin side up), or wings (skin side up) down the center, leaving a 4-inch border on each end and 2-inch borders on the sides. Place a 24-inch-long piece of foil on the top and mold it over the packet ingredients. Starting with one of the long sides, fold the bottom foil edge 1/2 inch over the top foil edge and seal firmly using your index finger. Make another 1/2-inch fold and seal firmly. Repeat until you reach the enclosed mound. Seal the other long side. Seal the ends in the same fashion. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at one of the following times:
* 70 minutes for the pork.
* 40 minutes for the thighs.
* 30 minutes for the wings.
(The packet will puff up.) Transfer to a work surface and, being careful to avoid the escaping steam, use scissors to open a larger rectangle in the top of the packet. Return the baking sheet to the middle rack and broil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the meat has a nicely browned crust.
Transfer the packets to a work surface. (Cut the ribs, if using, into separate pieces.) Form a little pouring "lip" along the long side of the packet that is away from you. Carefully pick up the foil packet by the sides (it should be cool enough to handle; otherwise, use mitts) and slowly drain off just the orange-colored fat. Pour the remaining sauce into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and discard any remaining fat. (There should be about 1/2 cup of sauce.) Add the water and the remaining 1/4 cup of ketchup, stir and microwave for 1 minute on high. Taste for seasonings and add more chipotle-flavored hot pepper sauce, if desired, and mix well to combine. Spoon the sauce over the meat or serve on the side.
Packet cooking tips:Packets are perfect foils for home cooks who have either little time on their hands or remote controls in them. Here are some tips to keep in mind for foil-packet cooking:
* Mold the top piece of foil closely to the ingredients to make the packet as airtight as possible.
* Do not let the packet contents poke holes in the foil. Heavy-duty foil is less likely to be breached.
* Make sure the seals are tight. With each folding of the foil, press the crease firmly with the index finger. Make at least three folds so the seals can withstand the pressure of the steam within the packets.
* If ingredient substitutions are made, make sure everything in the assembled packet will cook to doneness at the same rate of speed. (This is why the sweet potatoes and carrots in the tagine and the new potatoes in the salmon packet are parboiled ahead of time.)
* Take care when opening the packets to avoid getting burned from steam. Use scissors to cut out an initial rectangle just inside the perimeter of the folds.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from chef and former restaurateur David Hagedorn.
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.
