Ribs, Rice, and Roasties

Let's get this out of the way real fast. These are probably some of the BEST ribs I have ever had - spicy hot ... 'make your lips tingle' hot ! This barbeque sauce is a tangy sweet hot concoction that clings well and needs minimal basting. It stays shiny and caramelizes well in the hot oven (or grill!) that finishes the ribs.

Notice that I made a platter of plain white rice. That rice is a real palate tamer after sucking the 'fall off the bone' pork from one of the ribs. The roasted vegetables include sweet potatoes, red and yellow sweet peppers, and sweet white onions that are roasted with Pampered Chef's Jamaican Jerk seasoning, thyme, black pepper, kosher salt, and a coating of olive oil. Sooo delish! I have been known to toss a coarse chop of flat leaf parsley and just a bit of chopped mint into the roasted vegetables before popping them on the platter, but tonight the fresh herbs were lacking. Oh well .... it was deadly, just the same!

A word about this meal. It can't be rushed. Make it when you have fridge space for the ribs to sit in their rub, when you have time to do a slow roast on the ribs and the time to make the barbeque sauce and let it sit to 'work', when you can hang around and appreciate the slow build of all the smells from the ribs, roasted veggies, and the nose from a good glass of red wine... hehehehe. 

Okay. Enough. Here are the various recipes it takes to get this meal on your table. Make it. I promise you that you will like it, if you like 'hot and spicy'.

This meal will serve three or four. Add a big green salad, bread, and dessert and you can stretch it further. 

Spice Rub

In a small bowl, combine and stir with a fork until uniformly flecked.

¼ c. paprika (a combination of sweet paprika and smoked paprika is wonderful)
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder

Store the rub in a tight container. This makes enough rub for 2-3 chickens or 4 sets of baby back ribs.

Barbeque Sauce

In a medium saucepan, combine over medium-low heat:

¾ c. ketchup

2 tbsp. Asian garlic chili sauce (the really hot stuff)
¼ c. fig preserves (or apple jelly)
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. honey

Whisk the ingredients together over medium-low heat. When the preserves have melted, increase the heat and bring to a slow bubble. Stir well, cover, turn off the heat, set aside, and let the spices work.

Baby Back Ribs

Wash and pat dry:

1 or 2 racks of pork ribs, bone in

Rub the ribs back and front with the spice rub and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in a long shallow pan and refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours.

To cook the ribs, remove them from the plastic wrap, place them in the shallow roasting pan so that the arc of the ribs holds the meat up off the surface of the pan.

Place a large bay leaf, a generous sprinkling of dried thyme, and 1 – 1 ½ c. water in the bottom of the pan.

Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven. Set the oven temperature to 300° F and walk away from the oven for 1 ½ hours.

While the ribs slow cook, prepare the barbeque sauce (recipe above).

After 1 ½ hours, take the ribs out of the oven, remove the foil from the top of the ribs pan and use it to line a large shallow rimmed cookie sheet.

Transfer the ribs to the cookie sheet and baste generously with barbeque sauce.

Increase the oven temperature to 400°F and roast the ribs for 15 minutes, baste with more barbeque sauce, and roast another 15 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the oven and cut the rack in half along a bone. Place on a large platter and bring an empty bowl to the table for the bones. Paper towels are helpful for sticky fingers!

   

Jamaican Jerk Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch coins
½ sweet red pepper, chopped
½ sweet yellow pepper, chopped
½ large sweet white onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
kosher salt and black pepper
¼ tsp. Pampered Chef Jamaican Jerk seasoning
Olive oil, to coat the vegetables

Making the Roasted vegetables:

1. Quarter the sweet potato coins and toss them with a bit of olive oil and the Jerk seasoning.

2. Place them on a rimmed cookie sheet, cover closely with foil, and roast in a 400°F oven for about 15 minutes.

3. Toss them about to brown the other sides and return them to the hot oven for another 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, toss the peppers and onions with the salt, pepper, and dried thyme and a bit more olive oil.

5. When the sweet potatoes have finished their second 15 minutes of roasting, toss them again and turn the peppers and onions onto the pan with the potatoes.

6. Leave uncovered and return to the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes.

7. The peppers and onions should be tender crisp and the sweet potatoes should be crisp on the outside, but soft on the inside.

8. Place them around a rack of ribs, a roasted chicken, whatever, and serve.


Pssst ! - Last year on this day: Cooking Chinese