I love 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 — really Seriously Simple.
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 fruit sauces 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 Rose. 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 spare ribs. They are shorter and smaller than spareribs. They are a bit more costly than spare ribs 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.
SIDEBAR: Gifts for Dad
Looking for the perfect Father’s Day gift? Here are a couple of suggestions that will please the dad in your life:
Soda Stream: Here’s an appliance that the gadget-lover will find fun and economical. Imagine making up a bottle of soda water to your exact liking by customizing the carbonation. You can buy an extra bottle so there is always refrigerated soda on hand, and it costs nothing but the water that you use. The makers have also come up with myriad flavorings to add to the soda water. This would be a fun item for creating colorful and tasty drinks all year long. Visit Sodastream.com.
CBTL Single Serve Beverage System: For the barista dad: Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is the latest to get into the capsule coffee makers that conveniently serve individual cups of coffee quickly and efficiently. They have a number of machines to fit whatever space is available in your kitchen. They all require Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf capsules to make the coffee. What makes this machine so appealing is that it also makes regular coffee and tea; none of the others can do this. Pros: easy, good quality coffee.Cons: you can only use their coffee capsules, which might not be a bad thing if you like their coffee. Visit cbtl.com.
Chef’s Choice Knife Sharpeners: Some dads love to chop, slice and mince. That means they need a very sharp knife. If you want to go for the gold, buy him the electric Professional Sharpening Station. It is both a sharpener and a steel, which will ensure that all knives are in perfect cutting condition. If you want to buy something more budget-friendly, try the Pronto Pro manual knife sharpener. Easy to use and small, this is great for the dad with limited kitchen space. Visit Edgecraft.com.
Hoisin-Ginger Baby Back Ribs
Serves 4-6.
Marinade:
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup orange blossom honey
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1/2 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
1. 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.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 F.
3. Place the ribs 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 in a roasting pan and cover well. The ribs should be tender when pierced with a fork.
4. Remove the ribs from the oven. Remove the ribs from the foil, drain and reserve the juice and place in a dish.
5. 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 remaining marinade, 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
http://www.seriouslysimple.com
.)
