Skip to content

Say Hello to Summer with a Backyard Beach BBQ

Excerpt from Margaritaville: The Cookbook, now available wherever books are sold.

When you can’t get to the beach, create your own in the backyard! Set up Adirondack chairs in a large sandbox so you can eat with your toes in the sand.  No shirt, no shoes, no problem. Flip-flops are welcome. Eat under a beach umbrella and lay out beach towels for the kids.

And no party is complete without a mix of delicious food and cool concoctions, so here’s what’s on our menu:

  • Grilled Oysters with Tarragon Butter
  • JWB Lobster Rolls
  • Baby Back Ribs with Guava Barbecue Sauce
  • Cilantro-Lime Coleslaw
  • Grilled Corn with Lime Butter
  • Strawberry Sponge Cake Shortcake
  • Frozen Watermelon and Mint Margaritas
  • Watermelon Pink Lemonade

Find recipes for all of these dishes in the new Margaritaville cookbook. And if you don’t have your copy yet, here’s one recipe to get the party started.

Baby Back Ribs with Guava Barbecue Sauce

Serves 4

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice
  • 4 pounds baby back rib racks, membranes removed
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 1 cup guava paste
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dried red chile powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Place the salt, garlic powder, pepper, and lime juice in a small bowl and stir together. Rub the mixture all over the ribs and place them on a sheet pan in an even layer. Pour 1 cup water around the ribs and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake the ribs until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Carefully remove the ribs from the oven and unwrap them. Pour off the cooking liquid (save it for another use, such as cooking beans, or discard it) but leave the ribs on the sheet pan.

While the ribs are baking, place the ketchup, guava paste, orange juice, Worcestershire, chile powder, cumin, thyme, and allspice in a small saucepan set over high heat. Bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve the guava paste and combine all the ingredients. Once it boils, turn off the heat and set the sauce aside.

Once the ribs are cooked and the sauce is done, either turn your broiler to high, preheat an outdoor grill to medium, or set a grill pan over medium heat. Grill or broil the ribs, basting with the guava barbecue sauce and turning them as they cook, until hot and glazed and charred in spots, about 8 minutes. Transfer the racks to a cutting board and cut into individual ribs, then transfer them to a serving platter.

Drizzle with any remaining guava barbecue sauce and serve warm, with a large roll of paper towels handy.