Everyone has an opinion on how to cook the perfect rack of ribs. Boiled, braised, smoked, oven roasted, slow cooker crock pot method and pressure cooked are all methods I have tried in the past and I still use a few of them to make a delicious tender rack of ribs. My absolute favorite way to indulge in pork heaven is by oven baking the ribs. I leave them uncovered while cooking to create a crusty dry rib texture on the outside and have them sitting in an inch of white wine to assist in making them tender on the inside. They are crispy and flavorful, yet moist and tender. The glaze is a perfect balance of sweet and savory with a hint of spice. I had our neighbours and friends sample the ribs and they LOVED them. In fact, they made this recipe for a recent dinner party and the ribs were a huge success. I promised to share this recipe for them, and all other die hard rib fans.........
Cleaning the baby back ribs.
1. Take the ribs out of the packaging and turn them over. Using a paring knife, lift the membrane up away from the bone so you can easily pull the entire clear membrane off the rack of ribs. It helps if you pat the membrane with a paper towel first to make it less slippery to work with.
2. Trim any excess fat or end bits off the rack of ribs.
3. Wash the rack of ribs and pat them dry before moving on to the next step. It is critical that the meat is dry before seasoning to achieve a crispy texture on the outside of the rib while roasting.
4. Cut the rack of ribs in half and place into a deep rectangular foil baking pan. Each large baking pan should fit 2 racks cut into 4 sections. Place them flat in the pan. Do not overlap the meat.
Prepping the baby back ribs for the oven.
1. Preheat the oven to Convection roast or bake at 425 degrees.
2. Season the top of the ribs GENEROUSLY and EVENLY with the following ingredients:
garlic powder
sea salt
cracked black pepper
dried rosemary
3. Pour some dry white wine into the pan without letting any spill onto to top of the ribs. There needs to be at enough liquid to just touch the bottom of the rib bones without covering the meat above the bone. If you don't prefer to use white wine you can use beer, stock, water or any alcohol you think would go well with pork.
4. Place the ribs in the oven and look in on them every half hour to make sure there is still liquid at the bottom of the pan. If it all evaporates add some water to avoid the pan and ribs burning.
5. As soon as the ribs are in the oven, start the glaze on the stovetop. To make enough glaze for 2-3 racks you will need the following ingredients:
3-4 cloves of garlic- grated
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. chili sauce- I used Sambal Oelek
2-3 Tbsp. canola oil or avocado oil
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 cups Tropicana orange juice (lots of pulp)
zest of 1 orange and 1 lime- for garnish (optional)
1. Place the oil, garlic, chili sauce and cumin into a medium sauce pot and sauté on medium heat for a few minutes until the garlic is slightly golden. Do not walk away from this pot at this stage as the garlic can easily burn.
2. Add the soy sauce, honey and orange juice to the pot and stir until well incorporated. Bring to a boil.
3. Once the sauce is boiling, turn the temperature down to low and let simmer the entire time the ribs are in the oven.
4. If an hour has passed, turn the ribs over to crisp up the back side. Set the timer for 30 minutes and check the ribs. Turn them back over if they are crispy at this time. Make sure there is still liquid at the bottom of the pan. If not add some water. DO NOT let the bottom of the pan dry up or it will burn and impact the taste of the meat.
5. Once the ribs have been cooking for 1 1/2 and have been turned back over with the top facing up it is time to glaze the ribs.
6. Using a basting brush, spread the thin glaze over the ribs, making sure all the bits and pulp soak into the meat. Use all of the glaze. It will not be thick like honey but it will thicken once in the pan. Continue basting the ribs every 15 minutes or until the ribs are tender and the sauce is sticking to the meat leaving them shiny and gorgeous.
7. Take the ribs out of the oven after 2 to 2 1/2 hours of cooking. If you place a paring knife into the ribs and it easily goes through, it means they are ready.
8. Rest the ribs for at least 10 minutes before slicing into the meat.
9. Once sliced, garnish with orange and lime zest if desired.
10. Enjoy!
Note:
Every oven is different, so make sure if your ribs are getting very dark in color to simply turn down the temperature.
