TRI-LAKES AREA — Ilove baby back ribs. Maybe it’s because they seem to have more meat and a less pronounced pork flavor.
When I was growing up, just hearing that ribs were on the menu would make me happy. Father’s Day at our house always meant a barbecue with plenty of baby back ribs, a favorite of my dad’s. My mom relied on a sweet tomato-based barbecue sauce for the ribs.
Through the years, I have experimented with different ways to cook baby back ribs and different sauces to complement them. As a California girl, I never learned the ins and outs of proper barbecue techniques.
Usually, it was throw the ribs on the barbecue and brush sauce on them a few minutes before they were done so the sauce wouldn’t burn the ribs.
Through trial and error, I have found that first marinating and then baking them in a 325-degree oven enclosed in aluminum foil, essentially steaming them, results in a moist and very tender slab of ribs.
A bonus is that this can be done a day ahead, and the ribs cooled and refrigerated. Even better, you don’t have to be a barbecue maven to just finish these on the grill.
This marinade combines the fermented-soy-bean hoisin sauce with orange-flavored honey, fresh ginger, chili paste with garlic, and rice wine vinegar for an Asian-style glaze that is a fun twist on classic sweet American barbecue sauce. You can also try this method with other fruitsauces or chutneys.
If you’re wondering what to serve with these sweet and spicy morsels, consider coleslaw flavored with a rice-wine-vinegar dressing. Grilled corn on the cob would be just right with the ribs, too. To drink, I like ice-cold Chinese beer or a dry Rosé. Dad will be a happy guy.
Cook’s notes:
◊When selecting ribs, I prefer the meaty and less fatty baby back ribs, sometimes called loin ribs. They have a covering of meat over the bones and also between them that makes them leaner and meatier than spareribs. Baby back ribs are shorter and smaller than spareribs. They are a bit more costly than spareribs but well worth it.
◊Look for racks that have meat on the rack and not a lot of fat. It’s best to buy fresh ribs that have not been frozen.
◊Sometimes you will find the smallest ribs cut up and called Chinese-style ribs. These are the small ribs from the end of the loin rack. You can substitute these individual ribs if you prefer; these make a great appetizer.
◊Use this marinade on pork tenderloin or chicken.
◊This may be prepared 1 day ahead through step 4, covered and refrigerated. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before grilling.
HOISIN-GINGER BABY BACK RIBS Serves 4-6 Marinade: 1/2 cup hoisin sauce 1/4 cup orange-blossom honey 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger1/2 to 1 teaspoon spicy chili paste with garlic, or to taste 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 scallion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon rice-wine vinegar 4 pounds pork loin ribs cut Chinese style or baby back ribs Directions:
Combine the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Place the ribs in a jumbo plastic sealable bag. Add the marinade to the ribs and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Place the ribs and marinade on a piece of foil large enough to wrap tightly without any holes. Place the package in a large roasting pan and bake for 1 1/4 hours. Alternately, place the ribs and marinade in a roasting pan and cover well. The ribs should be tender when pierced with a fork.
Remove the ribs from the oven.
Remove the ribs from the foil, drain and reserve the juices and place in a dish.
- Prepare the barbecue for medium-heat grilling. Grill the ribs about 3 inches from the flame for 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until they reach the desired doneness, basting occasionally with the reserved juices and making sure they do not burn.
Place on a serving platter and serve with the reserved juices, if desired.
Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including Seriously Simple Holidays, and also a James Beard award-winning radio-show host. You can contact her at www.
seriouslysimple.com.
Tri-Lakes, Pages 54 on 05/31/2012