• Enter the TVWB 27th Anniversary Prize Drawing for a chance to win a Weber Traveler Portable Gas Grill! Click here to enter!

Glaze ablaze... raspberry chipotle?


 
A

adam clyde

TVWBB Pro
OK, I've always been a dry ribs kind of guy (that is, no sauce/glaze kind of guy, not dried out ribs kind of guy)
icon_smile.gif


Anyhow, for some reason, I've had a craving for a sweet finishing sauce or glaze lately. Not sure why. I think my body is naturally craving what it needs more of: lots of sugar. Totally.

Anyhow, what are folks favorite home-brewed glazes? I know there are a lot of store-bought ones. I'm looking for one I can make. I've seen folks mention rasperry chipotle before, but can't find a recipe. I'm thinking that would be awesome. I've got a bunch of chipotles left that I smoked last year...

What else?

And finally, which is your preference, to finish them with the glaze over the smoker/grill to caramelize a bit, or just brush them with the glaze right after they come off. The few times I've glazed, I've followed the latter technique...
 
Adam,

The raspberry chipotle sounds good. Can you grind up the chipotles and blend them into the raspberry jam or jelly?

I like a jalepeno jelly for a glaze. My wife made a batch, so I haven't had to look for store bought. I glaze while on smoker or grill for 20-30 minutes. Not sure it caramelizes, but it gets less runny.

Jim
 
I can definitely grind them up, but for something like that, I'd probably steep in hot water and puree.

I saw this recipe on the food network for a raspberry chipotle glaze. Any thoughts?
 
My first thought is that it is more work than I'd like to do when outdoor cooking. But it is probably no more than preparing some BBQ sauce. It doesn't say how much it makes, so you may have some leftover. Go for it, it sounds tasty.

Jim
 
Adam,

You may wwant to try Keri C's "Cranberry Barbecue Sauce" posted under recipes here. This will probably be sweet enough without a lot of sugar.

Ray
 
It would make enough for a much larger loin than called for in the FN recipe--much more than enough than you'd need for a cooker full of ribs.

I also like dry ribs. If I glaze I'm looking to complement the rub and meat so I keep them simple--pomegranate syrup with a little honey and butter, tamarind with turbinado and butter, Key lime with a little sugar and butter--that sort of thing. I apply very thinly with a pastry brush moments before pulling; just long enough to make the application, allowing the meat's heat to set the glaze. Most of the rubs I make for ribs are replete with aromatics and spice so I do not add any to the glaze but that would be a good way to add bright aromatic, spice, or herbal notes. I also tend to minimize the sweetening which if excessive, can dull the finish and further mask the meat and rub.

A simpler procedure would be to start with some best quality raspberry preserves, unsalted butter (it works better than oil, imo), balsamic (raspberry vin is fine but I think balsamic, with its rounder berry flavors preferable here), a clove of garlic (optional), and a small onion (optional). Thyme, just a little pinch of dried or fresh, would be an optional herb addition. Mashed chipotle, made from canned or by reconstituting a dried pepper, a few drops of lime (preferable) or lemon juice, and a pinch of salt would complete the list.

Smash the garlic clove (if using) to crack it and heat it in about 2 T of unsalted butter over low heat. Meanwhile, using a the fine holes of a grater, grate the onion (if using) directly into the butter till about 2-3 t are in the pot (the onion will grate into a liquid-y mush--good). Stir, raise the heat to medium and cook about a half-minute. Add 1/2 c vinegar, a t or so of chipotle and the small bit of thyme (if using) and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to med-low and cook, uncovered, till the vin has reduced and the mix just coats a spoon; remove the garlic clove.

Over low heat, stirring constantly, add a little salt; add the raspberry preserves, 2-3 t at a time, and allow to melt into the mixture, several T in all, till the mix is of a medium-thick glaze consistency (add a little water if it gets too thick, add more preserves if too thin or, if the rasp flavor is right but it is a little thin, raise the heat a bit and reduce further).

Strain through a sieve into a ceramic or glass bowl. Add the lime juice, a drop at a time, just till the glaze has some bright notes. Keep warm, or re-warm, for use. Brush on the ribs with a pastry brush
 
Kevin -

Sorry to take so long to get back to this. Great thoughts, thanks.

On my next rib cook, I'm going to do a bunch of different glazes and sauces. raspberry chipotle for one (thank you for your suggestion), tamarind for another. Would you pair the tamarind with a chile? Maybe a habanero for its fruitiness?

Also, how are you using the tamarind? I have a brick of very coarse tamarind pulp that I bought at an indian store a while back. Was planning on steeping in a bit of boiling water for a half hour or so, pound it to release all the flavor, then strain it. Is that how you'd do it? Or do you use straight tamarind pods?
 
You can certainly pair tamarind with a chile. If I have significant chile in a rub I usually do not include it in the glaze but I have used both fresh and dried chilies with tamarind in glazes used on 'un-chilied' rubs. Hab is a good choice as is guajillo. I like Aleppo with tamarind very much. It has a very similar mid-range sour/fruit character plus some heat. Ancho can work but its fruit tends to pitch high (I'm sure you know what I mean) so you have to round it out more to avoid bitter notes--easily done though. Some sweetness will tone down the sour element of tamarind--it can take a lot and still keep the pleasantness of the sour element but be careful not to overdo. I've had Indian tamarind chutneys and some Mexican tamarind-based drinks that are so over-the-top sweet that the sour was lost entirely--not unlike too-sweet lemonade. You can taste lemon but the brightness, tang, and highs are all gone.

I prep tamarind just as you describe. I use either bricks or pods and I go through a lot. It is one of my favorite flavors. A tall glass of a just sweet enough tamarind drink in the heat of summer is a pleasure. The flavor pairs wonderfully with other fruits--especially other tropical fruits like pineapple, mango, banana, passionfruit, guava, papaya, the --moyas and their crosses--and can be cooked or reduced without loss of quality.

Tamarind works well with nearly any meat. I mix one part strong tamarind infusion with several parts cooked pineapple juice for the foiling stage for ribs and use it in glazes, finishing sauces, marinades and the like for pretty much every meat and fowl I cook (nice with duck!) and often with shrimp curries(it works well with coconut milk) or as part of the marinade, glaze or sauce for grilled shrimp.

You can make more infusion than you need and freeze the rest in ice cube trays. You can also reduce the infusion slowly till it forms a thick concentrate and store it in the fridge reconstituting as needed.
 
Yep, over brie cheese people freak out about how good it is. We're thinking, "It's a piece of cheese and this stuff." Too easy.
 
Question for Kevin -- would you make any adjustments if using fresh raspberries instead of preserves for the above raspberry chipotle glaze? I will have fresh raspberries in a few days, and this sounds like an interesting recipe.
 
Yes, David, I would add them with the vinegar. You'll need to add sugar as well, of course.

For the amount of vinegar noted (1/2 c) you'll need that much again in sugar to make a syrup plus some more to thicken the juices that the raspberries will release--anywhere from another couple tablespoons to another 1/2 c, depending on the quantity and juiciness of the berries. I'd go with not less than a pint of berries and figure 2 T more of sugar at the outset (so use 1/2 c sugar plus 2 T). More berries, more sugar but if you want to use a lot more berries then double the other ingredients right from the beginning.

Using superfine sugar will get you to a smoother finish faster. It's often in the sugar section of the market and called 'superfine' or 'baker's'. It is often in a canister (rather than a bag). If you have a processor you can make a reasonable facsimile by processing regular sugar for 1-2 min (use the metal blade).

Add a pinch of salt when you add the berries. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to med and simmer till reduced and thickened, breaking up the berries with a spoon. Adjust salt, adjust sugar (if needed), remove the garlic clove then strain through a sieve, pressing on the solids. Add lime juice, a drop or two at a time, to brighten.
 
I recently made a Raspberry Chipotle glaze for smoked chicken. I mixed raspberry jelly (used polaner all fruit seedless raspberry) and added some chipotle tabasco sauce and pickapeppa sauce (to taste).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top