I’ve gone slightly peach-mad recently: first peach cobbler ice cream, then peach grilled cheese, then a gooey peach-and-blueberry cake. “Where’s the meat?” I hear you shout. You’re right, even I cannot suggest you live on cake and grilled cheese sandwiches alone.
Today, we have something properly weekendy: sticky, glossy, sweet and spicy ribs, lacquered in maple, bourbon and peach bbq sauce. Oh man, this sauce is good! You’re going to need extra table napkins for this.
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If you’ve only ever eaten ribs in a restaurant, the thought of making them yourself might seem intimidating, but the prep is actually very easy. The hard part is having the patience to wait for them to cook. As for flavor, the peaches cook down until they’re jammy and bronzed, the bourbon brings a lovely smokiness, and the cucumber, dill and pickled onion slaw cuts through it all with the perfect crunchy tang. I serve the ribs with flatbreads or garlic bread.
Good news: if you don’t have ribs, or don’t fancy them, the dry rub and the peach and bourbon BBQ sauce recipes work on almost anything — chicken thighs, pork shoulder, duck, lamb, even halloumi. A spatchcock chicken is the easiest place to start: dry rub the chicken the night before, roast it hot, then brush on the glaze for the last ten minutes so the edges catch.
