One of my grandparents was from the Netherlands and I remember that Apple Stroop was always a staple in their household. We used to spread it on rye bread along with a thin slice of gouda cheese and it was one of my favorite snacks as a kid, whenever I went to visit them. I have good memories of Stroop sandwiches.
I recently bought a tub of the same brand that they used to have from a Dutch store in the town that I currently live in.
Apple Stroop for those of you that don't know is a thick apple syrup that can be spread like butter on toast. It's tart and sweet and all around delicious.
Recently I had this idea of using it like a BBQ sauce and spreading it on ribs. I have never seen it done so I figured I would experiment a little and see how it goes. I gave it a try and actually, it turned out really good, so today I'm going to share the experience with you. I hope you enjoy.
Ingredients
There aren't too many ingredients in this recipe since its mostly just a spice blend. Other than a rack of ribs, I used the following:
• Apple Stroop
Enough to coat the top of the rack
• Chili Spice
• Cummin (ground)
• Smoked Paprika
Equal parts of the spices above to coat the entire rack of ribs. You can adjust the amounts based on your taste preferences as well. I actually used a little less cummin than the others because I generally find it much stronger.
• Garlic Powder
I used less garlic powder than the others as well, just enough to sprinkle across the rack. You could skip this if you wanted.
Directions
Start by peeling off the membrane on the bottom of the rack of ribs. It comes off pretty easy once you get it started. I didn't show this step but it's pretty easy to do and helps make the ribs "fall off the bone."
Coat the entire rack in the spice blend. You can rub it in to the meat if you like, but it's not necessary. I started taking photos after I began cooking.
It was one of those "Wait, why am I not making a post about this!?!" moments. I only really missed one step though, so its all good.
Put the rack in the oven at low heat, around (275°F) for about 2 hours and 45 mins to 3 hours. Check it at this point to see how its coming along.
If the meat is getting close to being done (use your judgement here) then remove the ribs from the oven and spread a thick coating of apple stroop across the entire rack.
I also sprinkled on some more of the spice blend from before, just to give it a bit more flavor and because I find that spices on top of sauces makes them a little more stable and less likely to run off.
You could also add chili flakes at this point if you want the ribs to be a little spicy. My wife hates spicy hot foods so that wasn't really an option for me but chili flakes would go well with everything else here.
Now the ribs are ready to be put back into the oven for another 15 to 30 minutes, just long enough to caramelize the Apple Stroop.
I turn the heat up at this point to around 350°F.
Once the sugars have caramelized you can take the ribs out of the oven to rest for a little. Since the ribs aren't a thick cut of meat and since they have a bone in them, they don't need to rest for very long; just a few minutes really. Rest them uncovered for the same reason. Covering them in tinfoil will just continue to cook them.
After they've rested a few minutes you can cut them.
As you can see the meat was falling off the bone, which was what I was going for.
I was quite pleased with how the ribs turned out with the Apple Stroop sauce. The stroop wasn't too sweet, which I was a little surprised by. It was slightly tangy and mildly sweet with a sticky gooeyness that you would expect from a rack of ribs. Overall, I'd say that the experiment was a success!