T’is The Season For Ribs

It’s almost time to kick off for summer.

Traditionally here in the USA, that’s Memorial Day weekend. In UK it’s May Bank Holiday weekend. But whatever your summer kick-off is, it’s time to bring out the ribs. While it’s true that ribs are a year-round thing, they always seem to be associated with summer.

There’s several methods to cook the ribs. Whatever method you prefer is the one you use. It’s the awesome cognac bbq sauce that’s the focus here. It’s full of flavor and a little boozy too. The alcohol cooks off so all you’re left with is the flavor of the brandy.

Cooking Method(s)

As I stated before, the method you choose to cook the ribs is up to you.

My two favorites are the oven or on my gas grill over indirect heat for 1-1 1/2 hours. I feel these methods lead to the best results. However, if I want them quickly, I use my Instant Pot. With that method, I do them on high pressure for 13 minutes and release the pressure immediately. I also place the ribs in the insert curled around the sides of the pot so they’re standing up. That results in ribs where the meat is still stuck to the bone. For fall-off-the-bone ribs, then cook for 18 minutes and let the pressure reduce naturally for 10 minutes before releasing the rest of the pressure.

My least favorite method is the slow cooker. I’ve done them that way when I’ve had oodles of time and I add NO water to the crock. There’s just something lacking with the taste done this way–at least for me. But if you prefer to use the crock pot, then by all means.

Sauce Base

The base of this cognac bbq sauce is a commercial BBQ sauce, which makes it pretty easy.

However, you have to use a high-quality sauce that’s pretty thick. Also, this requires a neutral-tasting sauce. Specialty flavors likely won’t work here, so use traditional or regular flavor.

The Recipe

Print Recipe Add to Recipe Box Go to Collections

Cognac Ribs

A touch of brandy elevates ordinary ribs to the extraordinary.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bbq sauce with liquor, cooking with brandy, holiday rib recipes, pork ribs with brandy

Servings: 6

Calories: 373kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork baby back ribs or 1 rack
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• sesame seed optional

Sauce

• 1 cup thick BBQ sauce like Sweet Baby Ray’s
• 1 tsp orange zest or 1 strip of orange peel
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup brandy
• pinch of thyme
• 1-2 drops hot sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• To make sauce: Add the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or foil.
• Place ribs on prepared pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for about 90 minutes, or until internal temperature is 170F/80C. You may brush the ribs with some sauce in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
• Cut ribs into individual portions and brush liberally with the sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seed if using.
• Use remaining sauce as a dipping sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 964mg | Potassium: 362mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Baby Back Ribs with Cognac BBQ Sauce appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Pineapple And Pork Ribs

Pineapple and pork are a super combination. There’s just something about the sweet-tart flavor of pineapple to complement the taste of pork.

The method I tend to use in cooler weather is oven roasting. It seems to bring out very good flavor in ribs. Of course in the summer I don’t want to heat up the house. Grilling them is actually the preferred method. The original recipe from Andrew Zimmern grills them over indirect heat. Grilling over indirect heat produces a wonderful flavor that an oven closely duplicates but doesn’t quite match. So if you want these for Super Bowl snacking, go with your oven, but do remember to make these ribs once the BBQ season starts.

To Marinate Or Not

I’ve made these both ways–marinating them and just baking and basting with the glaze.

Sure, there’s a whole new depth of flavor when you marinate these ribs for 24 hours, but they are surprisingly good if you don’t.

If you choose to speed up the process by eliminating the marination, make sure you have extra glaze for a dipping sauce. Your guests and your family will wolf the ribs down either way. But I do encourage you to take the extra step to marinate as it will add more flavor.

I will add at this point that by itself, I am not keen on the flavor of cilantro. However, combined with pineapple it works…I can’t explain that but it does. Usually I use half the amount of cilantro called for in a recipe. In this I don’t as it pairs excellently with the taste of pineapple.

Using The Instant Pot

If you want to skip marinating and cook the ribs in the Instant Pot, instead of water, use pineapple juice as the liquid. It will infuse more flavor. Use about 1-1 1/2 cups (around 400 ml) and cook at high pressure for 15-18 minutes. I always cook for the lowest time so the ribs stay together. Release the pressure immediately too so they do not overcook.

Then all you do is glaze them and pop them under the broiler until they begin to crisp.

The Recipe

Print Recipe Add to Recipe Box Go to Collections

Pineapple Glazed Ribs

Pork and pineapple are a perfect combo for ribs

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Marinate1 day d

Course: Appetizer, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baby back rib recipes, glazed pork ribs, Instant Pot recipes, super bowl

Servings: 8

Calories: 620kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 6 lb pork baby back ribs about 2 racks

Marinade:

• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs kosher salt
• 1 tbs garlic finely minced
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbs cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 chili pepper finely minced

Glaze:

• 3 cups pineapple juice
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup mirin
• 3 tbs brown sugar
• 2 tbs rice vinegar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Place all marinade ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times. Rub the mixture onto the ribs. Place ribs in a covered dish or large freezer bags and marinate overnight.
• You can make the glaze ahead of time as well (recommended). Place all glaze ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so you have a medium simmer (some bubbles on top of the liquid) and reduce until it’s a syrupy consistency—this will take about 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and you may like a splash (about 1 tsp) of fresh lemon juice added.
• Line a baking sheet with either parchment or aluminum foil. Place ribs on the sheet and roast in a 350F/180C oven for about 2 hours. Basting with glaze during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
• Brush with additional glaze then cut into individual rubs. Serve remaining glaze as a dip if you desire.

Notes

Mirin is a sweet sake-like condiment. You will find it in the Asian section of the store.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 620kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 1292mg | Potassium: 674mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Pineapple Glazed Ribs appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

The Perfect Glaze For Ribs: Maple And Orange

Maple and orange are wonderful flavors when combined.

You have the tartness of citrusy orange offsetting the sweet maple syrup. And this glaze also introduces a little heat via Sriracha. However, if you don’t like a touch of heat, leave it out; they’ll still be delicious. On the other hand, if you belong to the “some like it hot” group, then add lots more! As always, taste the glaze using the minimum amount of heat if you’re using the Sriracha then add more if you feel it needs it.

Instant Pot Or Oven

There are so many methods for making these maple orange glazed ribs–or any others–that you can choose the one you’re most comfortable with.

For myself, in the winter I use the oven method for obvious reasons. In the summer, I switch to my Instant Pot. Actually, the Instant Pot is a boon if you want your ribs fast. Your time investment is roughly 15 minutes.

For slow cookers, I recommend cooking on high for maybe 5 hours minimum. When I use this method, I don’t add any water because then they will roast.

The method you use to do the initial cooking is totally up to you and if you use liquid in your crock pot, then by all means add it. The ribs all end up at the same point for the final touch.

Also Good With Pork Baby Back Ribs

I’m lucky that I can find beef baby back ribs in one of my local stores. They come cryopacked just like the pork ribs.

However, if you can’t find the beef baby back ribs, then pork baby back ribs will do just as nicely.

And these can be made with beef short ribs too–you just have to cook them a bit longer so they’re tender enough to eat.

The Recipe

Print Recipe Add to Recipe Box Go to Collections

Maple Orange Beef Ribs

Oranges and maple make an excellent glaze for beef ribs

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Course: Appetizer, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baby back rib recipes, beef ribs, pork baby back ribs, rib recipes

Servings: 6

Calories: 363kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 3 lbs 2 slabs beef baby back ribs

Maple Orange Glaze:

• 1/2 cup maple or pancake syrup
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp Sriracha
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp garlic powder

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Mix all glaze ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
• Oven method: Lay ribs on a rack and bake at 325F/160C for approximately 60 minutes or until tender. Leave ribs in baking tray.
• Instant Pot Method: Place ribs in the insert, add 1 1/2 cups water, seal and cook on high pressure for 15-18 minutes. Release pressure immediately and remove ribs to a baking dish.
• Preheat oven to 500F/250C or use broil setting. Set oven rack to top position.
• Brush ribs with most of glaze and place in the preheated oven. Cook for around 5 minutes or until glaze begins to bubble. Remove from oven, cut into individual ribs and brush with remaining glaze if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1rib | Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 282mg | Potassium: 664mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 4mg

The post Maple Orange Beef Baby Back Ribs appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Beef Baby Back Ribs

I’ve seen beef baby back ribs talked about in the past, but I never saw them in any store I shopped in. I’m a huge fan of short ribs so I knew I’d like the baby back ribs.

As luck would have it, I finally did find some beef baby back ribs! At first I thought they were pork because they were packaged the same way. The store I found them is in a more densely populated area and closer to the city so there’s a much larger selection. Fortunately, it’s close enough for me to be a regular shopper.

I wanted to do something really bold tasting with these and decided a bit of liquor would do the trick. They “marinate” in a flavorful rub overnight. They were, of course, fantastic!

Yummy Jack Daniels Glaze

Nothing complicated about this glaze. In fact, the base is a prepared BBQ sauce. The only advice I give here is to use a good high-quality sauce–and a thick one.

The amount of Jack Daniels is up to you. I was pretty conservative with it as I’m not a drinker, but I do like a bit of wine or liquor in food because it adds a certain something. If you are feeding younger children who may not appreciate the flavor, you can go lighter with it. The alcohol does evaporate when heated so there’s no chance of them getting, as we say, “lit.”

Grill Or Oven

These ribs can be done on the outside grill or in the oven. That way you can enjoy them year round!

Cooking them on the outside grill requires indirect cooking. That means you let them roast on the unlit side of the grill. Your grill also needs a lid. While I’m sure there’s a way to do them on an open brazier-style charcoal grill, I’ve never done indirect cooking that way so I cannot give a method.

The oven is pretty simple too. Instead of moving the ribs to the lit side of an outdoor grill to crisp the glaze, you merely pop them under the broiler.

The Recipe

Print Recipe Add to Recipe Box Go to Collections

Beef Baby Back Ribs with Jack Daniels Glaze

Yummy beef ribs with a tasty glaze

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Rub Marinating Time8 hours hrs

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Main, Main Course, Main/Side

Cuisine: American

Keyword: BBQ recipe, beef baby back ribs, beef recipes, Jack Daniels, rib recipes

Servings: 4

Calories: 692kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 4 lbs beef baby back ribs

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup good bbq sauce
• 2 tbs whole grain mustard
• 2 tbs Jack Daniels

Rub:

• 2 tbs kosher salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp summer savory optional
• 1/2 tbs chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tbs paprika preferably smoked
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbs brown sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Mix all rub ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
• Prepare ribs by removing the sliver skin (membranfrom the back of the ribs.
• Massage rub over front and back of the rib slabs. Place in a large zipper freezer bag and refrigerate overnight.
• Mix all glaze ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
• Prepare gas grill for indirect cooking--you will cook over the unlit side--by heating the interior of the grill to approximately 325 degrees Place ribs, bone side down on unit side and roast for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Brush both sides of the ribs with glaze and move to the lit side of the grill. Grill each side until glaze bubbles.
• Oven method: Proceed as above placing ribs on a roasting rack and baking at 325 degrees F for same amount of time. Remove from oven and set broiler to high. Brush with glaze and broil for about 5 minutes each side until glaze is bubbly.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 692kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 64g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 195mg | Sodium: 4176mg | Potassium: 1333mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 827IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 8mg

The post Jack Daniels Beef Baby Back Ribs appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Sichuan Ribs: Perfect For Summer

Summertime is the perfect time for ribs and these Sichuan ribs fill the bill very nicely.

After the long hard winter many of us have experienced, all most of us want to do now that summer will be here soon is to be outside as much as we can. And being outside means one thing to we foodies–grilling!

These ribs are perfect when they’re finished off on the grill because they will develop that deep intense flavor. They can also be finished off under the broiler.

Fast Ribs Under Pressure

Cooking ribs under pressure is the fastest way to prepare them.

So if you have an Instant Pot or any other brand of electric pressure/multi cooker, you’re all set. Of course, a stovetop model will work just as well. The method used in either appliance is high pressure.

The amount of time you pressure cook the ribs depends on how you like them done. I cook mine for 14 minutes and that gives me ribs where you have to chew the meat off the bone. The bone-in ribs you get in the Chinese restaurant approximates the way I like mine done.  If you like the meat falling off the bone, then you’d cook them for 18 minutes. It’s also important to release the pressure immediately. You want them to stop cooking when the time is up.

One of the best things about preparing ribs by pressure cooking in the summer is that it doesn’t heat up the kitchen! And finishing them off on the BBQ grill gives them a great flavor!

Yummy Sauce

I warn you–the sauce is spicy because of the chili garlic sauce. What I do is serve most of the sauce as a dipping sauce. I dredge the ribs very lightly with sauce before I grill them so you get some flavor but not a punch in the jaw as far as spiciness goes. Also, if you can’t find black bean sauce in your store, you substitute hoisin sauce for it. Hoisin is already in the sauce you’d just use more.

The Recipe

Print Recipe Add to Recipe Box Go to Collections

Sichuan Style Ribs

Tangy and spicy pork ribs with a Sichuan kick

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time14 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: asparagus recipes, baby back ribs, Instant Pot, pork,, rib recipes

Servings: 6

Calories: 767kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 6 lb pork baby back ribs about 2 racks
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 cups water

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup black bean sauce
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup chili garlic sauce
• 1 tbs pancake syrup

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Place ribs in the Instant pot. Add the water and soy sauce. Cover, seal and cook on high pressure 15 minutes. Release pressure immediately. Remove ribs to a plate and set aside.
• If you don’t have an Instant Pot, place the ribs in a large dutch oven, cover with water. Add the soy sauce. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
• Mix all sauce ingredients together and set aside.
• Cut ribs into serving-size portions (1-2 ribs). Preheat broiler or outside BBQ grill to high.
• Brush ribs with about 1/2 cup of the sauce. Place on grill or in broiler until sauce is bubbling and ribs begin to get crisp and slightly charred.
• Serve with additional sauce for dipping.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 767kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 59g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 198mg | Sodium: 3567mg | Potassium: 826mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 10.3mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 3.2mg

*Post contains affiliate links

The post Sichuan-Style Ribs appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Ribs Are Perfect For Any Occasion

Ribs really rise to any occasion. Be that dinner, appetizers or snacking. They are almost the perfect thing to serve for any party, and what’s a Super Bowl party without ribs?

I always prepare my ribs in my Instant Pot because it’s quick and easy. There’s no long oven times where the meat can dry out. Likewise, there’s no 8-hour wait like in a slow cooker where ribs tend to become so soft the meat falls off the bone. Not that falling off the bone is bad. Some folks actually like them that way, but to me that texture isn’t suitable when ribs are supposed to be “finger food.”

Exotic Guava

I love the flavor of guava and it goes so well with pork. This recipe uses guava paste which is a slab of concentrated guava pulp.

However, it may be difficult to find if you live in an area that doesn’t have a large Latino population–especially Cuban. It’s not available by me so I buy my guava paste on Amazon.

Guava paste is very dense. It’s not jiggly like gelatin blocks. You have to cut it up and heat it in order to make the glaze. It becomes easy to mash once it’s heated so I suggest you don’t try to do this when you first start to cook it. Cut it in small blocks, about one-inch, let it heat then start to mash it with a fork. It may be a bit involved but it tastes so good, I think you’ll find it worth the effort.

The only viable substitute I can recommend in place of it would be red currant jelly or jam. However, I do hope you use the guava. It’s delicious and so tropical!!!

Alternate Methods

You can cook these by other methods than pressure cooking.

For oven cooking, prep the ribs as in the recipe–removing the membrane–then place them on a rack in a pan and roast for 2 hours at 350 degrees F.

For slow cooking, prep as above and cook on high for about 5 hours. However watch them carefully because you don’t want them overcooked. I never add water to the slow cooker, but if you want to, about 1/2 cup is fine.

The Recipe

Print Recipe Add to Recipe Box Go to Collections

Guava Glazed Ribs (Instant Pot Ribs)

This is a very basic wing recipe for the air fryer. The crispy secret is the coating.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: baby back ribs, Instant Pot, pork ribs

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 446kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 racks baby back pork ribs
• 1 cup water

Glaze

• 1 cup guava paste
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs lemon or lime juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Remove membrane on the bone side of the ribs. Place ribs and water in Instant Pot and cook on manual, high pressure for 12 minutes. Release pressure immediately and let them cool a bit.
• Meanwhile, prepare glaze by placing the guava paste and the water in a small saucepan; heat over low heat. Using a fork, mash the guava paste until melted and smooth—about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce. Remove from the heat and add the lemon or lime juice.
• Heat broiler to high. Brush ribs on both sides with a generous amount of the glaze.
• Broil until the glaze is bubbling and starts to caramelize; about 5 minutes each side. Remove from the broiler and cut into individual ribs.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.33rack | Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 503mg | Potassium: 594mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 64.3mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 1.7mg

*Adapted from Food & Wine
*Post contains affiliate links

The post Guava Glazed Ribs appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Beef And Ale

You can’t find anything more British than the combination of beef with a good hearty ale.

The Brits love their beef and they are fond of a bit of ale too. The flavors combine well here.  This is true “gastro pub” food like you’d get in a pub in the English countryside.

Since I haven’t been to a country pub in decades (my late Aunt Sue’s place in Aylesbury), I had to improvise. I actually haven’t been to Britain since 1972 when my sister got married so I had to bring the UK to America with this dish.

One caveat is that the ale produces a distinct flavor with bitter undertones. If you are not fond of that flavor or you’re feeding young children, substitute the ale for a lighter beer or just use all beef stock.

Long Slow Cooking

While this recipe can be adapted to a slow cooker, I prefer to do this in the oven. The reasoning for that is the slight reduction of the liquid. I find that crock pot cooking results in way too much liquid which results in a “steamed” flavor and not a roasted one.

I always choose to cook stews and things such as these short ribs in heavy cast-iron pots. My Le Creuset 7 QT French Oven was the perfect vessel. However, any heavy cast-iron dutch oven will do the job nicely because cast iron provides a steady and even heating.

Short ribs require a rather long cook time for tenderness. You want the meat tender, but not overcooked. I’ve found that approximately 3 hours does the trick here. Plus in the cold weather, I don’t mind running the oven for longer periods of time–obviously! Suffice to say that this isn’t a meal I’d do in mid summer!

Make A Day Ahead

Just like pot roast, this will improve the next day.

Short ribs are fatty. Therefore the resulting gravy will be as well. If you make them the day before, you can remove a lot of that fat.

Just refrigerate the ribs and veggies separately from the juice. Then it’s easy to discard the congealed fat that is on top of the juice.

Watch The Video

The Recipe

Print Recipe Add to Recipe Box Go to Collections

Ale-Braised Short Ribs

These ale-braised short ribs are just like you’d get in an English country pub. Tender and full of flavor!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time3 hours hrs

Total Time3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: British

Keyword: braised short ribs, short ribs

Servings: 5

Calories: 829kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 5 lbs (8-10) beef short ribs weight includes the bones
• 16 oz high-quality ale (I used Arrogant Bastard)—see NOTES
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup pearl onions frozen is OK
• 2 cups carrots cut in chunks
• 2 lbs small red potatoes
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme OR 1/2 tsp dried
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 tbs olive oil

Instructions

• Heat a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil then brown the short ribs on all sides—you may have to do this in batches. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Drain any fat from the pan. Deglaze the pan with the beef stock and add the bay leaf and thyme.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the flour to a large bowl and gradually whisk in the ale so there are no lumps. Add the ale/flour mixture to the pan and stir until slightly thickened and put the short ribs back in the pan, cover and place in the oven; cook for 2 hours.
• Add the carrots, potatoes and pearl onions; stir. Bake, covered, for an additional hour or until ribs are tender.

Notes

A good-quality ale imparts a strong flavor with bitter undertones. You can substitute regular beer if the strong flavor is not to your liking. If you don’t want any bitterness, substitute beef stock for the ale/beer.

Nutrition

Serving: 2ribs | Calories: 829kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 69g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 195mg | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 2232mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 8580IU | Vitamin C: 40.2mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 9.3mg

*Post contains affiliate links

The post Ale-Braised Short Ribs appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

If you love great ribs, then you’ll go crazy for these Chinese sticky ribs!

Chinese Sticky Ribs For Chinese New Year

Mark your calendar for February 16! That’s the date of Chinese New Year and this year is year of the dog!  Being a dog lover, I find it very appealing.

I’m planning to have a little celebration at my office that evening and these sticky ribs will be center stage since they are one of my all-time favorites. They’re delicious and very easy so this recipe is a winner on both ends.

Marinate Longer Than Usual

Most marinating times are between 4-12 hours.

These ribs require a bit longer so the full flavor can infuse. One full day, 24 hours, is necessary for that to occur. Less time will produce less flavor. But I would caution that you marinate at least 12 hours if you are pressed for time, so you must take this into account when planning to make these ribs.

On the contrary, longer than 24 hours if perfectly fine, unlike other recipes. These get better as they chill out in the marinade!

Last but not least, you get to use some of that marinade for the glaze. There is no danger in using it, even though the raw meat sat in it because you cook it and reduce it down to a syrup. The heat and subsequent reduction will kill any bacteria that was in it. And this reduction has an amazing flavor too.

Cooking Method

Where most of my rib recipes can use three different cooking methods, there is only one that can be used for this recipe because it produces excellent results. While I tend to use my Instant Pot for the majority of my rib recipes, it really doesn’t work with this one.

The oven-roasting method is the one to use here. If you are lucky enough to have a convection setting in your oven, that’s the way to go on this one. My new range has the choice of “convection bake” and “convection roast.” I used the latter setting and the results were perfect and in slightly less time than a conventional oven setting. However, if you don’t have the convection convenience, then by all means roasting on a conventional setting at the same temp will give you perfect ribs, but it’ll just take a little more time.

The Recipe

Print Recipe Add to Recipe Box Go to Collections

Chinese Sticky Ribs

If you love great ribs, then you’ll go crazy for these Chinese sticky ribs!

Prep Time1 day d

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Total Time1 day d 2 hours hrs

Course: Appetizers, Pork

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: chinese ribs

Servings: 8

Calories: 746kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 2 racks about 3-4 lbs each pork baby back ribs

MARINADE

• 2 cups low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup gin see NOTES
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger -OR- 1 tsp ground ginger
• 6 large cloves garlic crushed
• 1/4 cup honey

Instructions

• Remove membrane covering the bones on the back side of the ribs. Cut ribs into 2-rib portions.
• Mix all marinade ingredients until honey and the sugar is dissolved—you may warm it in the microwave to make this easier, but do not let it boil.
• Place ribs in a single layer either in a large glass or ceramic dish -OR- in zipper freezer bags. I use the zipper freezer bags because it makes clean up easier. I needed 4 gallon-sized bags to do these ribs. You may need more or less depending on the size of the rack(s).
• Pour marinade over ribs -OR- divide it equally in each bag. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours, turning once during the marinating time.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment. Lay ribs, bone side down on the pan. Reserve 1 cup of the marinade; discard the rest.
• Roast ribs for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
• While the ribs are roasting, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and reduce until it’s slightly syrupy over medium heat; set aside.
• When the ribs are almost done, brush them with the reduced marinade, turn the oven up to 400 degrees F until the marinade on the ribs begins to bubble--about 10 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

Gin may be omitted and replaced by chicken stock (although they won't be as tasty)

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 746kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 2196mg | Potassium: 365mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Chinese Sticky Ribs appeared first on The Midnight Baker.