Fig and Mustard Ribs
It’s time to get down-and-dirty with some ribs! Fig and Mustard Ribs are a bit more sophisticated than ribs with barbecue sauce but they’re just as finger lickin’ delish. They’re tender, sweet and slightly spicy with a smidge of smokiness. So grab your napkins, some wet paper towels, and roll up your sleeves…this is going to be so worth it!
Jump to RecipeDry Rub and Sauce Ingredients
Organize the ingredients… the baby back ribs, kosher salt, herbes de Provence, light brown sugar, onion powder, and garlic powder. For the sauce, you’ll need neutral oil (not shown), onion, garlic, fig jam, apple cider vinegar, spicy brown mustard, light brown sugar, canned chipotle chiles in adobo, and Worcestershire sauce.
Making the Spice Rub
Place 1¾ teaspoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons onion powder, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder in a small bowl. Mix spices together until combined.
Applying the Spice to the Ribs
Place racks of ribs meat-side up on a rimmed baking sheet and pat dry. Sprinkle spice rub all over ribs and pat to adhere. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
Cooking the Ribs
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of heavy duty foil. Pour 1½ cups water directly into the foil and then tightly wrap the foil around the ribs. Bake ribs on middle rack until meat is very tender, 1½ hours for smaller racks and 2 hours for larger racks. Remove baking sheet from the oven and place sheet near the sink. Carefully unwrap foil (a lot of steam will come out of the foil!) and pour water into the sink. Place a new piece of foil onto the baking sheet and place ribs on top.
Making the Sauce
While the ribs are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup fig jam, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, ½ cup spicy brown mustard, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Bring sauce to a simmer, stir occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully blend with an immersion blender until smooth. (Alternatively, you can use a standard blender, then transfer to a small bowl.) Season with freshly ground pepper if needed.
Saucing the Ribs
Heat broiler. Brush half of the sauce onto the top of the ribs. Broil ribs, meat side up, on upper rack placed 5-6″ below the broiler coils for about 4-6 minutes, until ribs are lacquered and lightly charred in spots. Then brush a second coating of sauce onto the ribs and broil for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Fig and Mustard Ribs
Transfer ribs to a cutting board. Allow to cool slightly for 5-10 minutes before cutting between the bones into individual riblets. Then arrange on a platter and serve with any additional sauce. A side of cornbread and slaw completes the meal!
Fig and Mustard Ribs
Equipment
- Blender or Immersion Blender
Ingredients
Dry Rub for Ribs
- 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 racks baby back pork ribs (3–4 lb. total)* with membrane removed from the bone side of the ribs, I had the butcher do that!
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil such as canola, vegetable, or avocado
- 1 medium onion red or white, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 1 cup fig jam See NOTES section below
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons canned chipotle chiles in adobo finely chopped, add more if you like spicier ribs (available in most markets)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Dry Spice Rub for Ribs
- Mix 1¾ teaspoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons onion powder, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder in a small bowl to combine.
- Place racks of ribs on a rimmed baking sheet and pat dry. (You may need two baking sheets). Sprinkle spice rub all over ribs and pat to adhere. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
- The spice rub can be made ahead. Just be sure to store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Cooking the Ribs
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with a double layer of heavy duty foil. Place ribs, meat side up, on lined baking sheet. Pour 1½ cups water directly into the foil and then tightly wrap the foil around the ribs.
- Bake ribs on middle rack until meat is very tender, 1½ hours for smaller racks and 2 hours for larger racks. Remove baking sheet from the oven and place sheet near the sink. Carefully unwrap foil (a lot of steam will come out of the foil!) and pour water into the sink. Place a new piece of foil onto the baking sheet and place the ribs on top.
Making the Sauce
- While the ribs are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup fig jam, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, ½ cup spicy brown mustard, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
- Bring sauce to a simmer, stir occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully blend with an immersion blender until smooth. (Alternatively, you can use a standard blender, then transfer to a small bowl.) Season with freshly ground pepper if needed.
Saucing the Ribs
- Heat broiler.
- Brush half of the sauce onto the top of the ribs. Broil ribs, meat side up, on upper rack placed 5-6" below the broiler coils for about 4-6 minutes, until ribs are lacquered and lightly charred in spots.
- The ribs can also be finished off on the grill over medium high heat. Meat side up, following same directions as for the broiler.
- Then brush a second coating of sauce onto the ribs and broil or grill for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Serving
- Transfer ribs to a cutting board. Allow to cool slightly for 5-10 minutes before cutting between the bones into individual riblets. Then arrange on a platter and serve with any additional sauce. A side of cornbread and slaw completes the meal!
Notes
Recipe from Bon Appétit and slightly modified by me.
If you like this recipe, you may also like these other GFchow recipes. Slow-Cooked Pulled BBQ Brisket, Gluten Free Sloppy Joes, and Crunchy Thai Slaw.
GLUTEN FREE DISCLAIMER
The recipes you find here are considered by me to be gluten free. However, it is up to you to make sure the ingredients you use are gluten free. Whenever possible, I will list specific brands of ingredients that I use, but always be sure to check the labels yourself to verify the item is gluten free.
