Maple Barbecued Caribou Ribs

Six pounds of caribou ribs marinated overnight in a maple-ketchup barbecue sauce, then slow-roasted until the meat pulls from the bone. This is northern bush cooking at its best, the kind of recipe that comes from hunting camps and lakeside cabins across Canada and Alaska.

The sauce has real character. Maple syrup, ketchup, white vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire, diced onions, and nine juniper berries. Those juniper berries are the wild card. They’re piney, slightly resinous, and they complement game meat in a way that nothing else can. They cut through the richness of the ribs and echo the boreal forest where the caribou roamed.

The overnight marinade tenderizes the meat and infuses flavor deep into the ribs. Drain them, pat dry, season with pepper, then roast at a low temperature for the first hour before adding the sauce. The temperature increase and the final 30 minutes covered finish the ribs until the sauce thickens into a sticky, caramelized glaze.

Pro Tips

• Pat the ribs completely dry after draining the marinade. Wet ribs steam instead of roasting and won’t develop that charred edge.
• Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup. The flavor difference is massive in a recipe this simple.
• Let the tops char slightly before covering for the final stage. That caramelization adds smokiness.
• Serve the extra sauce on the side in a gravy boat for dipping.

Variations

• Venison or elk ribs: This marinade and method works beautifully with any wild game ribs.
• Beer addition: Replace 1 cup of the water with a dark lager for a maltier, deeper sauce.
• Smoked: Finish the ribs on a smoker instead of the oven for the last hour, using hickory or maple wood chips.