Tag Archives: baby back ribs

Braised Pork Ribs and Potatoes with Fried Herb Crumbs

November 30, 2022Uncategorizedbaby back ribs, braise, new potatoes, pimentón, SpanishLynnHoll

Here’s a lovely long braised dish perfect for a cool weather weekend afternoon into evening. Baby back ribs are braised till they fall off the bone, then garnished with an herby crumb topping. Plus a bonus recipe for Braised Leeks with Bacon and Cream.

Admittedly, we always think of baby back ribs as an outdoor barbecue kind of dinner. It has never dawned on us to showcase the ribs as a cool weather meal. Now that we have enjoyed the fruits of our labor, these ribs are sure to make a showing again in the near future.

The bread crumb topping is optional, but adds a tremendous depth of flavor and a nice crunch factor. Cracking the new potatoes in half with the tip of a knife helps them to release their starch and therefore thicken the sauce a bit.

As an accompaniment, we prepared a side of Braised Leeks with Bacon and Cream (shown below), originally from Molly Stevens “All About Braising” cookbook. A while back, we enjoyed the same recipe using thyme, but minus the cream. Either option braises the leeks slowly in chicken broth until they collapse into blessed tenderness.

On our initial trip to the grocery store, there were only a few lousy looking leeks with hardly any white parts, so we rethought our scouting expedition and went to a local Asian Mart known to carry great produce. Their leeks were phenomenal, the best we’ve ever seen.

Try to coordinate the cooking times of both the ribs and the leeks so that they are done braising at about the same time.

Braised Pork Ribs and Potatoes with Fried Herb Crumbs

Servings: 4
Time: 3 hrs + marinating time
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

3-4 lbs. baby back ribs
1 tsp. pimentón de la Vera
4 garlic cloves, bashed and peeled
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1½ tsp. cumin seeds, lightly crushed
5 oz. white wine
1 large. onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock, homemade, ideally
3/4 lbs. new potatoes

For the Crumbs

4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
3 oz. fresh white breadcrumbs
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
6 sage leaves, shredded

Directions

Arrange the ribs in a large dish, add the pimentón, two of the bashed garlic cloves, two tablespoons of the olive oil, a teaspoon of the crushed cumin seeds and 2 ounces of the white wine. Toss to coat the ribs, then cover and leave to marinate for at least three hours (or put in the fridge overnight).
Heat the oven to 340F. Heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a deep casserole dish on a medium-high heat. Take the ribs out of their marinade (keep the marinade for later), and sear for four to five minutes on each side, until browned all over.
Transfer the ribs to a plate, add the onion to the pan and sauté, stirring, for 10 minutes, until brown. Add the remaining garlic and cumin seeds, stir to combine, then return the ribs to the pan.
Pour in the remaining 3 ounces of white wine, leave to bubble for a minute, then add the bay leaves, stock and reserved marinade. Season well and bring to a boil, then cover and transfer to the oven to cook for an hour to an hour and a half, until the meat is tender and beginning to pull away from the bones.
Crack the new potatoes in half with the tip of a knife (this helps them to release their starch), then add to the casserole dish and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and starting to break apart a bit and thicken the sauce.
Meanwhile, make the herby crumbs. Put the oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat, fry the garlic for 10 seconds, then add the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and sage.
Remove the lid from the casserole, sprinkle the crumb mix all over the top, then bake uncovered for a further 20 minutes.
Then put under a broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp the top. Serve in shallow bowls with lots of the lovely sauce.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Recipe from José Pizzaro

Korean Barbecue Ribs with Asian Slaw

April 14, 2021Uncategorizedasian, Asian slaw, baby back ribs, keto-friendly, korean, napa cabbageLynnHoll

As you may have surmised over the years through posts on this blog, The Hubs loves baby back ribs. You’ll find numerous recipes for different approaches to seasoning and cooking them—both adaptations and our own creations—but this one we hadn’t yet tried. If, like us, you embrace bold flavors, then these ribs are speaking to you.

Korean dwaeji kalbi are pork ribs seasoned with gochujang (a fermented chili paste), garlic, sugar and a few other high-impact ingredients. The ribs typically are grilled for only enough time to cook the pork through, not for hours on end to render the meat American-barbecue tender. However, this version from Milk Street, is a riff on Sohui Kim’s recipe from “Korean Home Cooking,” where they use the oven for convenience and cook the ribs to that ultra-tender state.

Our ribs were served with a side of Asian Slaw and roasted acorn squash rings.

As luck would have it, we had one package of baby backs in the freezer, which would suffice in feeding just the two of us, so we cut the recipe in half. To accompany the ribs, we paired them with roasted acorn squash slices and an adaptation of an Asian Slaw recipe found in Men’s Health, details below.

Look for gochujang in the international aisle of the supermarket or in Asian grocery stores. When shopping for baby back ribs, try to select meaty racks of equal size so they cook at the same rate.

Tip: Don’t use regular foil, as it’s too thin and narrow to securely wrap the racks of ribs. Be sure to use extra-wide (18-inch) heavy-duty foil. When wrapping the ribs in foil, be sure to position the racks meaty side down and keep them that way when placing them on the rack before baking. This allows the meat to braise in the pork juices that collect in the foil.

Korean Barbecue Ribs

Servings: 4-6
Time: 4 hrs
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

¾ cup gochujang
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup white sugar
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 3- to 3½-pound racks baby back ribs, patted dry
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

Directions

Heat the oven to 300°F with a rack in the middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with extra-wide, heavy-duty foil, then set a wire rack in the baking sheet. In a medium bowl, whisk together the gochujang, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Measure out ¾ cup of the mixture, cover and refrigerate to use for glazing. Cut two 20-inch lengths of foil; set aside.
Turn each rack of ribs meaty side down. Using a paring knife, cut a slit about 1 inch long in the membrane between the bones without cutting through meat. Lay one foil sheet on the countertop and set one rib rack on top. Coat the ribs on all sides with half of the remaining gochujang mixture, rubbing it into the meat and into the cuts in the membrane. Turn the ribs meaty side down on the foil. Draw the long sides of the foil together to cover the ribs and fold to seal tightly, then fold up and seal the short sides, creating a well-sealed packet. Repeat with the remaining foil sheet, rib rack and gochujang mixture. Place the packets seam side up on the prepared rack and bake until a skewer inserted into the meaty area between the bones meets no resistance, 2½ to 2¾ hours.
Remove the ribs from the oven and let rest, still wrapped, for about 10 minutes. One packet at a time, carefully open one end of one of the foil and pour the liquid inside the packet into a 1-quart liquid measuring cup or medium bowl; you should have at least 2 cups. Unwrap the ribs and set them meaty side up directly on the rack; set aside while you prepare the glaze.
Heat the broiler. Using a spoon, skim off and discard the fat from the liquid, then pour the liquid into a 12-inch skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high, reduce to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced to about 1 cup, about 15 minutes. Whisk in the reserved ¾ cup gochujang mixture, return to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick enough that a spatula drawn through it leaves a trail, 5 to 7 minutes. Brush the surface and sides of the ribs with about half of the glaze.
Broil the ribs until the glaze begins to char, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush on the remaining glaze, then continue to broil until lightly charred, another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the sesame seeds (if using). Let rest for about 15 minutes. Transfer the rib racks to a cutting board. Separate the ribs by cutting between the bones, then transfer to a platter.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted by Diane Unger for Milk Street

Asian Slaw

Asian Slaw

Servings: 4-6
Time: 30 min+
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1⁄4 cup peanut or canola oil
Juice of 2 limes + zest of 1⁄2 lime
1 Tbsp. sriracha
1⁄2 head Napa cabbage, finely shredded
1⁄4 cup toasted peanuts
2 carrots, shredded
1⁄4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

Whisk together the oil, lime juice, zest and sriracha.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss with the dressing to coat.
Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Hot. Sweet. Sour.

September 14, 2020Uncategorizedbaby back ribs, BBQ sauce, carolina-style, sweet and tangy, yellow mustardLynnHoll

Sound anything like your last relationship gone awry? Well this recipe should actually cheer you up instead, if tender, juicy, bone-sucking baby back ribs are your thing. You may recall last summer I posted a blog on Carolina-Style Barbecued Chicken that used a similar BBQ sauce—and it was slammin’ good!

Sweet and tangy, mustard tames the sweetness of the brown sugar—a nice reprieve from the traditional red BBQ sauces that many of us are more accustomed to. Surprised to find we were out of apple cider vinegar, we substituted white wine vinegar which shares a similar acidic level.

As for the Adobo Seco Seasoning, we always keep a container of homemade on hand (it has a long shelf life) but you can also buy it commercially made and use that. The most popular version is the dry seasoning mix, made from garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and sometimes dried citrus.

Carolina-style Grilled Baby Back Ribs

Servings: 4-6
Time: 3 1/2 hrs + refrigeration time
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

6-7 lbs. of baby back ribs (about 2 large racks)
3 Tbsp. adobo seco seasoning (store-bought or homemade)
2 cups water

1 cup yellow or Dijon mustard
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. mustard powder
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. hot sauce, such as Frank’s
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Oil for the grates

Directions

Rub both racks of meat all over with the adobo seco seasoning. Position on a rack in a rimmed backing sheet. Place upright toothpicks in several areas of the meat and cover tightly with heavy-duty foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, 2 1/2 to 3 hours before you plan to start grilling, preheat the oven to 325°.
Remove a portion of the foil away so that you can pour 2 cups water into bottom of rimmed baking sheet and recover. Place into preheated oven for at least 2 hours.
After 2 hours check the ribs to see if the meat pulls away from the bones easily. If not, continue cooking for another 1/2 hour.
Meanwhile heat the grill to medium. Oil grates just before adding meat.
Brush one side of each rack with room temperature BBQ sauce and lay the racks onto hot grates sauce side down. Brush sauce on top side.
When bottoms of ribs are browned, flip and brush again with more sauce. Repeat several times over the course of 10-12 minutes until racks are well sauced and browned.
Break racks apart into 3-4 ribs per section, place on platter and serve with any leftover sauce.