28 December 2009

Chef Leong: American Style BBQ Pork Ribs marinated with Coca-Cola (28 Dec 2009)


Coca-Cola Pork Rib Marinade

A recent catchup with friends got us on the subject of BBQ ribs and how I love the very popular Hurricanes Grill pork ribs and their marinade. I've always dreamt of cooking such tasty ribs so with some helpful tips and encouragement including ideas for the marinade recipe with Coca-Cola of all things — my friend said 'trust me' — it was time to give it a go. The main ingredients for the marinade base is tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, garlic, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce and Coca-Cola plus anything else you think might work. So I added sea salt, Masterfoods Garlic Powder, Masterfoods Barbeque Smokey Seasoning, Lake George Winery Apple & Rosemary Caramelised Balsamic, McCormick Paprika, Cornwell's Apple Cider Vinegar and Capilano Honey.

I wish I had a BBQ but only have an oven griller. I cooked for about 40 minutes, basting-cooking-turning-basting etc with marinade about every 5-10 minutes so it would built up a nice layer of yummy coating. My Zeal basting brush I received in a Kris Kringle came in very handy for this task. The end result worked well and I enjoyed the tasty ribs with a healthy side salad to balance. Although my favourite salad dressing at the moment is combining Praise Balsamic with Paul Newman's Own Creamy Caesar (full fat versions) — guilty pleasures taste so good.


Ingredients for marinate

Ingredients for marinate with Coca-Cola

Marinate ready — smells so good!

Marinate your pork ribs for as long as possible — I only had 5 hours but would prefer overnight.

Marinated pork ribs under griller or BBQ if your lucky

Pork ribs cut and ready to eat with side salad, Chef Leong :-)


Left overs of a satisfied meat lover

Salad dressing: Whisk same quantities of Praise Balsamic and Paul Newman's Own Creamy Caesar

10 comments:

Forager said...

Interesting use of Coca Cola! Never heard of it in a rib marinade before, but my parents have used it to cook chicken in a traditional family recipe to ward off colds.

Rita (mademoiselle délicieuse) said...

Nigella Lawson has a recipe for ham cooked in cola. Apparently using cola for cooking/marinating meat is something from the American deep south.

Simon Leong said...

hi forager, perhaps it's the secret ingredient Hurricane's Grill uses? the sugar i guess would help with caramelisation.

hi mademoiselle délicieuse, that's interesting to know. i reckon the deep south probably use Coca-Cola in a few recipes :-)

joey@forkingaroundsydney said...

I think I've seen this recipe before, and it sounds as interesting now as it did then. Love the plate of marinade ingredients in the form of a smiley face! LOL

Anonymous said...

It's very common to use coca cola to marinate BBQ meat in Malaysia. Reading your post is making me homesick. It seems to tenderize the meat :)

Simon Leong said...

hi joey, i was thinking i should make it look interesting for the camera shot hehe

hi ellie, it reminds me of the experiment where you put a tooth in Coco-Cola to dissolve it, must do the same thing for meat :-)

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know where to get really good american baby back ribs or Brisket in Adelaide. I travel to the USA and am trying to recreate the BBQ I eat when I am there?

Simon Leong said...

hi anonymous, i hope you find it somewhere in Adelaide. i've yet to visit Adelaide so not sure where you'd find it there.

Oisin said...

I made these a few months back and followed the receipe to a T bar adding some molases. They were awsome!
Marinaded them over night then braised them in a tray(with a little water in the botton) on a rack covered with foil for about 3 hours on a low heat. Meat was falling of the bone nearly. Let them cool a bit and then finished on the BBQ. Making them again this weekend to watch the rugby, looking forward to it!!! Thanks Simon!!

Simon Leong said...

hi Oisin, great to hear the recipe worked. sounds like a great way you've cooked them. i'll have to try. :-)

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