Pork Ribs With Spicy Mango Grilling Sauce

 

By Kerry Shelby

 

There are three definite and unfailing signs of early summer in Key West – the bright orange-red canopies of royal poincianas in full bloom, tarpon rolling around Key West Harbor and the island’s many mango trees heavy with greenish-purple fruit. Yes, it’s mango season, a time of abundance that sometimes becomes overwhelming as we desperately try to use all those sweet, over-juiced gifts of nature before they go bad. Cultivating a friendship with a mango tree owner is a must if you don’t have one of your own. Luckily, I’ve established a few connections over the years, so I am usually blessed with a counter full, all somehow reaching the peak of ripeness at the exactly same time.

 

 

While there is nothing better than fresh mango on your cereal in the morning, I’ve found a few more ways to keep pace with the crop. One of my favorites (along with a sweet, syrupy topping for ice cream) is a spicy mango grilling sauce. It is the perfect finishing sauce for pork ribs cooked low and slow in the oven and then tossed on a hot charcoal grill for a quick sear. The sweetness of the mango, along with some heat from a jalapeno or Scotch Bonnet pepper, adds a deep flavor layer to the ribs’ smoky, porky goodness.

 

 

Pork Ribs with Spicy Mango Grilling Sauce

 

Rub 4 racks of pork baby back or spare ribs with white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to room temperature and cook in a 250 degree oven for about 2 ½ hours. Rotate and turn the ribs, reduce heat to 220 and cook for 2 more hours or until the ribs are very tender.

 

 

While the ribs cook, make the sauce. Heat some olive oil in a medium sauce pan. Add ½ cup diced yellow onion and 1 minced garlic clove along with a stemmed, seeded and diced jalapeno. When the vegetables are soft, reduce heat to medium low and add 3 very ripe tomatoes and 1 large, very ripe mango, all coarsely chopped. Add in 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of cumin, a generous pinch of salt, a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Cook until the mixture starts to thicken. Turn off heat and let cool slightly. When cooled, pulse the sauce in a food processor until blended.

 

 

After the ribs come out of the oven, slather them generously with about 1/3 of the sauce and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

 

 

Fill a chimney starter with charcoal and, when coals are hot, spread them over one side of the grill. Place the ribs directly over the coals, cover and cook for 5 minutes or so, turning once, until they are charred and crusty. Brush the ribs with more sauce and move them to the cooler side of the grill. Cover and cook for about 10 more minutes until the ribs are heated through. Brush with the remaining sauce and serve.

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