Asian-Spiced Spare Ribs
These fall-off-the-bone spare ribs have a definite Asian flavor. They are tangy, sweet, and spicy, and benefit from slow-roasting with a rub in the oven before finishing with a glaze on the grill.
This recipe calls for spare ribs, not baby back ribs, which are often touted as being the most tender. Spare ribs come from the lower half of the pig, where the ribs that protect the breathing part of the pig are located. Because these ribs are constantly in motion, they are more flavorful than the popular baby back ribs. Cooked in this fashion, spare ribs are every bit as tender as baby back ribs.
Serve with Minted Cucumber Salad and a garnish of fresh cilantro.
Ingredients
For the rub:
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander seed
1/2 tablespoon ground cloves (optional)
For the sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (also called Peking duck sauce)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
For the ribs:
1 rack pork spareribs
Instructions
Trim the flap, or skirt, from the sinew side of the ribs. (The butcher may have already trimmed this piece for you.)
For a uniform look (which is nice, but optional), cut off the breast plate and flexible feather bones that form the rounded part of the ribs. This method of trimming to a uniform shape is called St. Louis style.
Remove the silverskin, a sinewy membrane on one side of the ribs, that does not melt away when cooked. Do this before seasoning the ribs so that the flavors can fully penetrate the meat. Begin by lifting the membrane with a sharp knife, then grasp it using a paper towel and slowly pull it away from the bones. Trim away any excess fat. Finally, pierce the areas between the bones with a fork (this is called “docking”).
For the rub:
Combine cinnamon, salt, pepper, corinder, and optional cloves to make the rub. Set aside.
For the sauce:
Stir together, ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, cilantro, lime juice, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
For the ribs:
Preheat the oven to 250°F.
Season the ribs liberally with the rub, cover with foil, and let them sit for an hour or so. Place ribs in the oven, and slow-roast, covered in foil, for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Start checking the ribs in about 90 minutes, and when the meat begins to pull away from the bones, it is ready to grill.
Coat the grill with nonstick spray such as Pam. Then, preheat the grill to medium-high. Coat the ribs liberally with sauce and place on the grill. When the ribs begin to develop a hint of black char on the edges, flip them and brush again with sauce. Repeat this process at least twice so that the ribs are well glazed and nicely charred, but not burned, about 15 minutes.
Transfer the cooked ribs to a clean bamboo cutting board. (Always use a tight-grained cutting board to prevent bacteria and off-flavors from being transferred between the cutting board and the food. Maple is another good choice, but bamboo is a sustainable natural resource!)
Allow to rest 10 minutes before cutting. This allows the juices to be reabsorbed back into the meat. Seperate ribs by cutting between the bones. Arrange cut ribs on a serving platter garnished with sprigs of fresh cilantro. Serve with extra sauce for dipping.
Awesome!