Sweet And Sticky Pork Ribs Call For This Classic Ingredient Collecting Dust In Your Pantry

There's something practically mesmerizing about slow-cooked ribs dripping with a thick, sweet, and tangy sauce. Creating this masterpiece rests on patience and having just the right sauce. Thankfully, homemade barbecue sauce is extremely forgiving, making it a perfect condiment for customization and personal flavor riffs. But an often unsung hero in consideration for the sauce lineup is good old molasses.

Molasses is simply boiled sugarcane that is a byproduct of the sugar-making process and it used to be the most popular sweetener in America. Today, molasses has been replaced by more common sweeteners that have similar flavor profiles like brown sugar or even maple syrup. But what these substitutes lack is a depth of caramel flavor that molasses brings to the party. In addition, molasses contains enzymes that break down the proteins in the meat making your ribs not only more flavorful, but also more tender.

While molasses certainly reads old-school and you may have had the same jar for ages, using it as a cornerstone of your rib sauce is a win-win. Not only does molasses tenderize meat, it has a pourable and gooey consistency that helps your sauce literally stick to your ribs. What's more, the more molasses is boiled, the darker and more syrupy this sweetener becomes. If it is boiled twice after reaching the molasses stage, it becomes blackstrap molasses, which packs quite a healthy punch. While sugar has no nutritional value, blackstrap molasses is a nutrient jackpot, bordering on medicinal, containing iron, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B6.

Furthering the rib sauce argument, molasses is richer and thicker than most other sweeteners, anchoring a coating that feels and tastes substantial. If you are using blackstrap molasses, be sure to balance your flavors accordingly as it is super concentrated and can lean towards bitter. Although molasses is a wholesome sweetener that has been flavoring food since the Middle Ages, it isn't exactly rolling off the shelves. Rounding out the flavors of homemade chili is another great use for this homespun ingredient. But, making sauce for delectable ribs may just be the best showcase to help mount a molasses resurgence.