Guava Barbecue Beef Ribs

Here’s a scrumptious lip-smacking good recipe for barbecue lovers with an exotic twist of tropical guavas. Guavas are the strawberries of the Bahamas. It’s used in our national dessert (Guava Duff), and when the fruit is not in season, it’s substituted with canned guavas or guava paste. It’s a staple ingredient in Bahamian culinary culture that is used year-round in jams, jellies, pastries, ice cream and barbecue sauces. Serve these glazed ribs with mac ‘n’ cheese or other favourite barbecue side dishes.
Yield 4 Servings Prep. Time 15 min Cooking Time 150 min Total Time 165 min

Ingredients

Here are the following ingredients:

  • 1 rack Canadian Beef Grilling Short Ribs (about 7 ribs), about 5 lb (2.2 kg)
  • Olive oil
  • ¼ cup (60 mL) packed brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) EACH smoked sweet paprika and ancho chili powder
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) EACH garlic powder, onion powder and fine sea salt
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) dry mustard
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) ground mace and fresh ground pepper

Guava Barbecue Sauce

  • 2 cups (500 mL) store-bought guava paste (see Tip), cubed
  • 1 cup (250 mL) bourbon- or hickory smoke-flavoured barbecue sauce
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) sambal oelek
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) fresh ground black pepper

Shopping List

Here are the following shopping items to buy:

Directions

Follow these cooking methods/directions:

  1. Place rack of ribs onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet; set aside.
  2. Combine sugar, smoked paprika, ancho chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cumin, cayenne, dry mustard, mace and pepper in a small container fitted with an airtight lid; shake well to mix the rub. Drizzle both sides of the ribs with some olive oil. Season the rack of ribs generously on both sides with spice rub. Store remaining spice rub in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Guava Barbecue Sauce: Meanwhile, combine guava paste cubes and ½ cup (125 mL) water in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes or until paste is melted. Add more water. if needed, to make a smooth paste without lumps just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in barbecue sauce, sambal oelek, cinnamon and pepper; set aside.
  4. Grill rack of ribs in closed preheated barbecue over medium heat (350°F/180°C) for 10 minutes, turning once, until grill marked. Transfer rack of ribs back to parchment lined baking sheet.
  5. Brush ribs generously all over with Guava Barbecue Sauce. Cover with foil and bake in preheated 325°F oven for 2 hours or until meat is fork-tender. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into individual ribs to serve.