Perhaps the best Braised Pork Ribs you'll ever have..

From the beginning, this blog site has stressed the importance of simplicity in the kitchen no matter what you do. With that said, it has also been understood that visual appeal and savory flavor should never be sacrificed in the process. It is the intent of this blog to adhere to those principles and to never let you, the reader, down without exception. Whether the recipes call for 30 minutes time or 3 hours, you will never be asked to accomplish anything that is beyond the scope of your capabilities. The end result is to expand the possibilities of what can be created in the kitchen and as a result, make us all better nonchefs.

What you are about to learn in this next creation takes simplicity, appeal, and flavor into consideration. This is one of my signature dishes, according to those that have enjoyed it in the past. My Braised Pork Spareribs are the most savory and moist ribs you will probably ever taste, providing you follow my directions, which I assume you will. This recipe has always been a hit at the dinner table and the responses I get have been that my ribs are the best anyone has tasted. Before I get carried away, I will stop with the self promotion; however, I think you get the idea.

Let’s start with the ingredients:

3 lbs. of your favorite cut of pork ribs
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
12 cloves of garlic, rough chopped
2 large roasted red peppers sliced in ½ inch widths (or buy a jar of them)
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 ½ cups of chicken stock
1 small can of tomato paste
4 tablespoons of plain BBQ sauce (smoked)
1 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of coarse ground pepper
½ teaspoon of smoked sweet paprika
1 teaspoon of dried basil
½ teaspoon of thyme
1/3 cup of olive oil

As it is always the case, please do all your prep work before you start cooking. By doing this, you won’t forget anything, accidentally overcook something because you were busy chopping, or simply get frazzled. Trust me, I’ve done it the other way and things always go wrong. So do your slicing and chopping now.

Cooking this dish is a two stage cooking process. First, you’re going to sauté and brown the meat, and then you are going to slow cook it in the oven. If you have a large oval shaped Dutch oven, you will want to use that. Otherwise, just get the largest frying pan you have. If you can avoid slicing up the pork rib rack into sections, that would be great. Otherwise, go ahead and cut it in 2 halves and brown each separately. Start by preheating the oven to 350. Next, get your pan of choice and heat ¼ cup of the oil over medium heat. Sprinkle the meat side of the ribs with  some of the pepper, and the regular salt. Sauté your meat for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side until browned. When browned, pour ¼ cup of the chicken stock over the ribs and deglaze the pan or your Dutch oven. If you’re using the Dutch oven, cover with the lid and place it in the oven. If you didn’t have one and used a frying pan, transfer the ribs and the liquid to a large and deep baking pan (lasagna pan works good), cover tightly with foil, and place it in the oven.

While the ribs are in the oven, get a large frying pan and heat the rest of the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the shallots and garlic for about a minute, then add the onion, and continue to sauté until the onions become translucent and begin to brown. Next, add the carrots and stir occasionally. Continue to sauté for a few more minutes and add the remaining chicken stock and the paprika, as well as the basil and thyme. Reduce heat to low and add the tomato paste and bbq sauce and stir well so that everything is well blended together. Taste for flavor and add salt and pepper if needed. Finally, add the sliced roasted red peppers and allow the sauce to begin to bubble. Transfer the sauce to the pot with the ribs, making sure that all the ribs are well covered. Recover pot tightly and continue to bake for 60 minutes at 325. Be very careful to use oven proof mitts or pot holders, as the Dutch oven lid and sides is extremely hot.

When done, remove the pot from the oven and let sit covered for about 5 to 10 minutes. Get your serving platter ready. Remove the ribs first and set on the platter. Since the pork most likely sweat out a lot of oils, to reduce the calories and fat content, you will want to put your sauce through a strainer to get rid of excess oil. Once done, spoon the sauce over the ribs or around the ribs, it’s your choice. Serve with steamed rice or wonderful boiled new potatoes. Sprinkle some chopped parsley over the ribs as garnish. You are going to find that the meat simply falls off the bone, it’s so tender and moist. I will let you discover the incredible flavor for yourself, but as a hint, I had this for dinner Saturday evening and I’m still smacking my lips. Enjoy it to the bone!