We used blackberry jam to concoct this sweet sauce. Now imagine what you could do with different flavors of jams. Think about apricot or even bacon jam.

Smoky Baby Back Ribs with Blackberry Barbecue Sauce

To make Blackberry Barbecue Sauce, in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes until translucent. Add garlic; cook 1 minute more. Add jam, tomato sauce, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until reduced by half. Stir in blackberries; simmer 10 minutes more. Set aside.

For rub, combine paprika, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper and salt; set aside.

Place ribs on baking sheet. Insert a butter knife under membrane on back side of ribs to loosen enough to grip; pull membrane to remove as much as possible. Spread mustard over both sides of ribs. Sprinkle each side of ribs with 2 tablespoons rub; massage into meat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Meanwhile, soak wood chips in water 1 hour.

To prepare grill for indirect cooking on a charcoal grill, place drip pan under center of grill grate with coals surrounding pan; light coals, scatter soaked wood chips over coals and bring coals to medium-low heat. For a gas grill, preheat grill to medium-low. Place soaked wood chips in smoke box or foil pouch with small holes poked in top; place on grate directly over lit burner. Place ribs, bone-side-down, on center of prepared grill. Close grill.

Grill 2 hours (keeping grill temperature around 225 to 235 degrees) to form a crust on ribs. If heat of grill is uneven, rotate ribs after 1 hour. Transfer each rib rack to a large sheet of heavy-duty foil; pour 3 tablespoons apple juice over each. Bring sides of foil together over ribs; fold down to seal and fold in ends. Return to grill; close hood and cook 1 hour.

After ribs have cooked 1 hour in foil, unfold and pull back foil, leaving ribs in foil. Spoon half of barbecue sauce over ribs; lower grill hood and cook 10 minutes.

Spoon on remaining sauce; lower grill hood and cook 10 minutes more. Ribs are done when a toothpick inserted between ribs gives little resistance and internal temperature is 170 to 185 degrees.