Veri Peri Garlic Ribs

One of the really fun things about being part of a blogging community: giveaways. It's an opportunity to try out some new products and, let's be honest, it's always a thrill to receive an email that reads: "you won!"

So, when one of my favorite bloggers, Heather at girlichef.com, hosted a giveaway sponsored by Veri Peri sauces I was excited to join the fray.

Veri Peri sauces are made in South Africa, use the African birds-eye chili, and come in five variations - mild, lemon & herb, garlic, hot, and veri hot. All I had to do to enter the giveaway was let Heather know what kind I would like; I could also get additional entries into the drawing by liking the company on different social networks. Done. It's no surprise that I selected the garlic variety.

Then it was just a matter of waiting, with fingers crossed, to see which number was picked. Finally I saw the verdict. Heather posted on her blog, "Congratulations, Camilla!" Yippee. And when we came back from a week out of town for Spring break, my loot was in the mailbox - a bottle of Veri Peri garlic sauce and a festive apron. Now the quandry of what to make.

I decided to braise a rack of baby back ribs in a mixture of garlic and beer then slather them with a tomato-veri peri garlic sauce to marinate overnight before roasting them to perfection.

rack of baby back ribs

2 T smashed garlic

olive oil

1 beer (I used an IPA)

2 T organic honey

1/2 bottle of Veri Peri garlic sauce

4 roma tomatoes, diced

1 T minced garlic

olive oil

1 T honey

I sliced the racks into pieces that could fit in the bottom of my pans. I browned smashed garlic in a splash of olive oil then quickly seared the ribs to seal in the juices. I poured in the beer and honey, brought it to a boil, covered it, and reduced to a simmer. Let that simmer for 2 hours. The meat will be so tender that it's almost falling off the bone.

In the meantime, I made the sauce by simmering the tomatoes and garlic in a splash of olive oil until the tomatoes were soft enough to smash into a sauce. Then I let it cool slightly and whisked in the honey and Veri Peri garlic sauce.

Slather the ribs with the sauce and let sit overnight in the fridge. Before serving, brush the sauce all over the ribs - again - and bake, covered in foil, in a 300 degree oven till completely warmed.

I served these Veri Peri Garlic Ribs with roasted potatoes and a crisp green salad. The ribs were tender, delicious, and full of flavor. Success! Thanks for the opportunity to try the Veri Peri sauce, Heather. My boys loved it.