Bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile, remove the pods, if using fresh whole tamarind, and place the tamarind pulp in a bowl. Add boiling water to the pulp and let it steep for 20 minutes.
Pour the pulp and steeping water through a sieve into a bowl. Push the softened pulp through the sieve, discarding the seeds and any remaining fibers.
Mix together the tamarind liquid, vodka, lime zest, chile-garlic sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, honey, salt and garlic powder. Place in a sauce pan and simmer until the sauce reduces by half.
Brush equal amounts of the glaze onto each slab of ribs, then grill the slabs to caramelize the sauce. Cut each slab into thirds and serve.
2 cups water
7.5 oz. whole tamarind pods (or 5 oz. compressed tamarind pulp)
½ cup mango vodka
Zest of ½ lime
1 Tbsp. chile-garlic sauce
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. honey
Pinch salt
Pinch garlic powder
4 slabs hickory-smoked ribs
7.5 oz. whole tamarind pods (or 5 oz. compressed tamarind pulp)
½ cup mango vodka
Zest of ½ lime
1 Tbsp. chile-garlic sauce
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. honey
Pinch salt
Pinch garlic powder
4 slabs hickory-smoked ribs
This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2010.