Football Friday: Spicy Dr. Pepper Ribs

The Wisconsin and Arkansas Cool Dads may not agree on much (football being their main point of contention); but they both have soft spots for redheads and women named Ree.

Their second favorite Ree (the first of course being the spunky and illustrious editor of this fine blog) is The Pioneer Woman- Ree Drummond. The Wisconsin Test Kitchen has tried at least ten of her recipes; and the results are always delicious. Think: simple, straightforward food that people love. And she's adorable. Seriously.

A few weeks ago the Wisconsin Test Kitchen found a recipe for her Spicy Dr. Pepper ribs, and we couldn't stop thinking about it. We needed to make those ribs! And ribs are awesome game day food. Especially this recipe, you can start them early in the morning and by the late afternoon game- you have ribs!

Spicy Dr. Pepper Ribs
Recipe courtesy of: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/02/spicy-dr-pepper-ribs/

1 cup Brown Sugar
1 can Dr. Pepper
1 can (5 Ounces) Chipotle Peppers Packed In Adobo
1/3 cup Brown Mustard
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 packages Pork Baby Back Ribs

 Prepare the marinade by gently boiling the first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan until reduced and thick, about 20 minutes.

Allow to cool completely. Divide into two containers and refrigerate one container for later.

Place ribs on a large baking sheet lined with heavy foil. Brush half the marinade all over the ribs on both sides. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 8 hours to marinate.

When you're ready to cook the ribs, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place the pan, still covered in foil, into the oven for 2 hours. Remove the foil and increase the temperature to 300. Using the other half of the sauce, brush another generous layer all over the ribs. Return the pan to the oven and continue cooking for another 30 to 40 minutes, brushing on another layer of sauce as it cooks.

Remove the ribs when they're fork tender (keep cooking until they are). Slice and serve!

 
 These ribs packed a fair amount of heat, but the sweetness from the Dr. Pepper really helped mellow out the spice. While this recipe wasn't ideal for the smallest member of our test kitchen, the adult members really enjoyed it with fried green tomatoes and homemade risotto. It was a delicious weekend in the Wisconsin Test Kitchen. Oh- and the smell of the ribs had us craving meat all afternoon. I believe the phrase, "I want to chew off my arm and eat it, those ribs smell so good!" was uttered once or twice. We don't recommend that. Just make the ribs instead.

After three weeks of football predictions, Dad #1 is still in the lead with seven points (28-21). Here are our week 4 predictions
 
Redskins vs. Giants
Dad #1: Washington
Dad #2: Washington

Bears vs. Packers
Dad #1: Green Bay
Dad #2: Chicago

Texans vs. Bills
Dad #1: Buffalo
Dad #2: Buffalo

Colts vs. Titans
Dad #1: Indy
Dad #2: Indy

Panthers vs. Ravens
Dad #1: Carolina
Dad #2: Carolina

Lions vs. Jets
Dad #1: Detroit
Dad #2: Detroit

Buccaneers vs. Steelers
Dad #1: Pittsburgh
Dad #2: Tampa Bay

Dolphins vs. Raiders
Dad #1: Miami
Dad #2: Miami

Jaguars vs. Chargers
Dad #1: San Diego
Dad #2: Jacksonville

Falcons vs. Vikings
Dad #1: Atlanta
Dad #2: Atlanta

49ers vs. Eagles
Dad #1: Philadelphia
Dad #2: San Francisco

Saints vs. Cowboys
Dad #1: New Orleans
Dad #2: New Orleans

Patriots vs. Chiefs
Dad #1: Kansas City
Dad #2: New England

Hope you have a great weekend of football and food!
Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew