BBQ spareribs and a glass of Pinot Noir? Certainly; and even better when the Pinot Noir appears in the BBQ sauce.
Wine Chef DJ MacIntyre oversees the menu and kitchen at Willamette Valley Vineyards’ Turner, Oregon Estate. The Kalispell, Montana native has been with the winery since 2015. I was able to meet Chef DJ at a recent lunch at the Tasting Room, where he shared his lifetime passion for cooking—and his talent in the kitchen.
While finding a winery that makes wines you enjoy and offers a great tasting room experience is fairly easy to do in Oregon’s Willamette Valley AVA, Willamette Valley Vineyards is very much a winery of note. The setting is beautiful, you can tour the vineyard, and enjoy a great tasting experience. And there’s also the extensive Tasting and Dining Room that offers a varied, fresh, seasonal menu especially designed to pair well with WVV’s wines.
Here, Chef DJ showcases a couple of Oregon favorites; our blackberries and Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, to make a perfect rack of BBQ spareribs—regardless of where you live.
-Recipe courtesy Winery Chef DJ McIntyre and Willamette Valley Vineyards. Thank you!
BBQ Spareribs
Ingredients:
- 4 Tbsp. canola oil
- 8 oz. white onion, diced ¼ inch
- 4 each garlic, whole cloves
- 2 cup brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp. paprika
- ½ cup dark chili powder
- 1 ½ Tbsp. cayenne, ground
- 2 each bay leaf, whole
- 1 each chipotle in adobo sauce
- ½ bottle Whole Cluster Pinot Noir
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 pints blackberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 quart ketchup, organic
- 1 ½ Tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 ½ black pepper, course ground
- 2 racks pork spare ribs
- 4 Tbsp. seasoning; salt, pepper, dried herbs
To Prepare:
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, sauté the onions and garlic until the onions begin to caramelize. Then add all the dried spices, sugar and chipotle peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
- Next, pour in the Whole Cluster Pinot Noir, vinegar, ketchup and blackberries. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Blend sauce completely with the immersion blender. Continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes on low heat. Transfer and cool in the refrigerator.
- Clean the silver skin from the ribs to allow for better penetration from seasoning and bbq sauce. Evenly season ribs with spice seasoning. Then baste with BBQ sauce, apply a heavy coat.
- Bake ribs at 250 degrees for 4 hours, basting every hour. To finish, place racks on a hot grill to achieve light charring.
- Enjoy with Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir.
Willamette Valley Vineyards’ Wine Chef, DJ MacIntyre.
For More:
- Willamette Valley Vineyards, www.wvv.com
- See more about Willamette Valley Vineyards and their wine in our article, here.
- Want to see the video? Take a look here.
– Recipe photo courtesy of Willamette Valley Vineyards.
