Royal Foodie Joust...Pork.. Citrus & Peppercorns

When I first started blogging a year ago one of my first friends in the blogosphere was Jenn at Leftover Queen . I was drawn to her delicious Mediterranean recipes, her creative ideas and enterpenurial nature...she is such a sweety too :D . I would love to some day take her cooking classes. She is the developer of The Foodie Blog Roll and The Royal Foodie Joust. Each month there is a joust on her forum where 3 ingredients are chosen by the previous months winner. This month the winner Heather at Gild the Voodoolily chose:

pink or whitepeppercorns, pork, citrus

Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with this month. Check out the forum and cast your vote :D

I opted for crushed pink peppercorns in the spice rub, pork baby back ribs and a combination of orange and lemon juices. You spray the ribs with lemon and OJ as they are slow cooking in the oven or BBQ and it is also prominent in the BBQ sauce slathered on in the end as well. Since Spring is on the way I also flashed up the BBQ...let the good times roll!!!!!

**Citrus Spice-Rubbed Baby Backs Ribs**

4 racks of baby back ribs (8 to 10 pounds total)
5 teaspoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons sweet paprika
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon pink peppercorns
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Citrus Barbecue Sauce (recipe follows)

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Locate the membrane on the back of the ribs; it’s a thin filmy substance on the underside. It can be left on, but for better results and flavor you want to remove it. Do so by running a sharp blade along the line of one of the bones and under the membrane, lifting it up. Use your hands to pull up the excess membrane. It may take a couple of passes to get all of it. In a bowl, mix together the dry rub ingredients. Make sure all the brown sugar is broken up and the spices evenly distributed. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap long enough to double over the entire rack of ribs. Lay out the rack, with the underside up. Take about a third of your mix and pat it onto the ribs. Turn the ribs over and pat the remaining portion over the top of the ribs. Fold over the plastic wrap and wrap tightly around the ribs. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium. If using a charcoal grill, place a drip pan in the center under the grate. Cover the grill and adjust the vents to obtain a temperature of 325° F. If using a gas grill, set it up for indirect grilling.

Pour the orange juice and lemon juice into a spray bottle or mister. Spray the ribs on both sides with orange/ lemon juice mixture and set them on the grill grate away from the fire. Grill the ribs until cooked, 1 -1/4 to 1 -1/2 hours. Spray them with orange juice every 20 minutes. Five minutes before the ribs are done, lightly brush them with the Citrus Barbecue Sauce. (Save most of the sauce for serving.) When ribs are cooked, the meat will have shrunk back from the bones and will be tender enough to pull apart with your fingers.
Transfer the ribs to a platter. Sprinkle the ribs with the remaining rub and lightly brush again with sauce. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Serves 4 - 8

Citrus Barbecue Sauce

2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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Combine the ingredients in a saucepan and whisk to mix. Gradually bring the sauce to a simmer over moderate heat and simmer until thick and flavorful, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl or clean jars and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until serving.

Makes 3 cups