Guava-Glazed Grilled Ribs

Along with your other excellent suburban traditions, early morning soccer and football in the backyard, grilling was a must during weekends in the summer. We’d absolutely crowd the grill with racks and racks of market-cut beef ribs, trimmed up and spiced with an ever-improving rub. It was always, and still is, an eternity to wait for ribs to be done perfectly. So we’d stand in a circle on his porch and make giant indian smoke signals every time the grill cover came off, checking on coals barely glowing through the supreme pile of meat. I’m personally ready to eat ribs at the first sizzle of meat on grill, and to this day, I’m not entirely sure how long it took to cook those massive cuts.

Guava-Glazed Grilled Ribs

Serves 2-3.

Note: Ribs are like an art project. All times, ingredients, implements and instructions are approximate. This is simply what has been working for me.

1 rack untrimmed  pork or beef ribs, about 4-5lbs. (increase cooking time for larger racks)

For the rub:

• 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp sumac
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder

For the sauce:

• 14 oz guava paste
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 1 Tbsp Sriracha
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Trim any loose bits from the inside and edges of the rack.
2. Mix together all seven rub spices in a bowl. Completely cover the rack (and trimmings) with the rub and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 12.
3. Light grill, maintaining medium heat (300-350°F). Sear ribs on both sides for 5-10 min a side.
4. Move ribs to the perimeter of the fire and grill for about 2.5 hours, flipping every 30 minutes.
5. While the ribs are cooking, mix together all the ingredients for the sauce, until smooth. If the guava paste is lumpy, heat sauce gently over medium heat while stirring to help smooth it out.
6. Just before you are ready to take the ribs off the grill, brush the ribs liberally with the sauce, then allow the ribs to cook for 2-3 minutes a side, monitoring carefully to ensure the sauce does not burn. Remove the ribs from the grill, let rest for 5-10 minutes, then serve.