Dateline: August 28, 2020 Ribs with Sauce, Broccoli, and Crunchy Salad

My order from FreshDirect came this morning.  In it were 2 racks of pork ribs and a boneless pork shoulder.  The shoulder was cut into two 3+ lb. chunks.  One frozen for another purpose, to be decided, and the other chopped up and mixed with chorizo spices waiting to be ground.  Tomorrow's project!

Tonight, I took one of the racks of pork ribs and coated it with a pig rub variation.  

Rib Rub II

Ingredients

1 T guajillo chili powder

2 t kosher salt

1 t ground cumin

1/2 t ground coriander

1 t dry mustard

1 t smoked paprika

1 t ground black pepper

white wine/shoju/sake

Tomato Based BBQ Sauce for Ribs

2 c tomato sauce, preferably homemade, with any bay leaves removed

1/3 to 1/2 c cider vinegar

2 T chili powder

1 T agave syrup

1 T molasses

salt to taste

Methods

1.  Mix rub ingredients together well, set aside.  Set oven to 350° F.

2.  Dry off ribs, and remove membrane from bones.  Trim off any excess fat and freeze for sausages!

3.  Rub the rub all over the ribs, coating each side and edges and rubbing in well.  Place in a shallow sheet pan and put into oven for 1 hr and 10 minutes.  At about 35 minute mark, pour enough wine/shoju/sake into the bottom of the pan to create a shallow lake.  This will create a moist environment where the ribs will steam as well as roast.

4.  While the ribs are cooking, get a sauce pan and add 2 cups homemade tomato sauce (preferably a marinara sauce or equally straight ahead tomato sauce).  To the saucepan, add a good glug of the cider vinegar, chili powder, and the agave syrup.  Stir well and taste.  Add salt, vinegar, more agave or chili powder.  Bring to a slow simmer.  Use an immersion blender to blend everything together.  Taste again.  Add molasses and another glug of cider.  Stir and bring to a simmer again.  Reduce to thicken.  Taste and adjust, if necessary.

5.  After 70 minutes, pull ribs out and coat the top with a couple of hefty tablespoons of the sauce.  Coat the ribs evenly.  Raise the oven temp to 500° F and return ribs to over for about 15 minutes or until the sauce has set and is beginning to darken on the meat.  

6.  Remove ribs to a cutting board and separate them into individual ribs.  Serve with the remaining sauce on the side.

Uncut and waiting for the main event

Cut up and ready to eat

Sauce to the left, and broccoli, steamed to the right

Go to crunchy salad, cucumbers, onions, celery, peppers, tomatoes dressed with sherry vinegar and olive oil

The ribs were really, really tasty.  Easy eating, little resistance and nicely spicy.  I am usually not a sauce girl, ever, but the mood struck me as I was hunting through the fridge and saw the containers of tomato sauce from the other night.  It was an excellent stroke of genius, I might add.  Sweet, just barely, tart, moderated, spicy, pleasantly, and thick!  Will try the sauce again in the future.