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very bloody good!
well, we gave this one a try last night, and i am thoroughly convinced that the flavours involved were just right when it comes to bringing out some of the best that pork ribs have to offer. i've always been a fan of alton brown, and i continue to be impressed with his stuff when i try it. these ribs, cooked by a different method than i am used to (braising vs. barbecue), were no exception!
here is the recipe:
Who Loves Ya Baby-Back?
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Prep Time: 1 hr 10 min; Cook Time: 3 hr 25 min
Dry Rub:
8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Braising Liquid:
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Place each slab of baby back ribs on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle each side generously with the dry rub. Pat the dry rub into the meat. Refrigerate the ribs for a minimum of 1 hour.
In a microwavable container, combine all ingredients for the braising liquid. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Open one end of the foil on each slab and pour half of the braising liquid into each foil packet. Tilt the baking sheet in order to equally distribute the braising liquid. Braise the ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer the braising liquid into a medium saucepot. Bring the liquid to a simmer and reduce by half or until of a thick syrup consistency. Brush the glaze onto the ribs. Place under the broiler just until the glaze caramelizes lightly. Slice each slab into 2 rib bone portions. Place the remaining hot glaze into a bowl and toss the rib portions in the glaze.
*This recipe makes several batches of dry rub. If more rub is needed, it can be extended by any amount, as long as the ratio of 8:3:1:1:1 remains the same.
and here we go....
as per the recipe above, here are the goods (not pictured are the ribs themselves):
a couple of notes here: i did not have kosher salt and none was available at our local grocery, so i ended up using sea salt with no ill effects that i could detect. also, due to the strong aversion that the beautiful mrs. tas has to capsaicin, i simply doubled the old bay and chili powder in place of the cayenne and jalapeņo powder. finally, since i had no brown sugar on hand, i used turbinado (raw) sugar.
first, i put together the rub, doubling the measurements. since i was using components that had such a diversity of size and textures, i decided to try mixing the rub in the food processor:
on the base of the sugar and salt, we see here most of the other ingredients for the rub:
even after several minutes in the food processor, i didn't get the uniformity that i was looking for; however, i did note with pleasure that the smaller, finer components of the rub worked into the larger portions (such as the cugar crystals) pretty well. perhaps a blender would have worked a little better, but this was going to be ok, i decided.
after transferring some of the rub to a shaker:
i liberally applied it to the ribs:
the ribs were purchased that morning on the spur of the moment when mrs. tas and i went shopping at our local grocery. they were trimmed very well and even though the label (and price) said "spare ribs," i had to do several double-takes as they looked quite a bit like baby backs to me:
since the cooking method for these ribs is to braise them for the entire time, i elected not to brush on a thin coat of mustard, which is my usual practice when doing dry ribs.
once both racks were well-coated with rub and wrapped up tightly in foil, i put them in the fridge for a couple of hours to soak up the goodness and begin their transformation into supper. the components for the braising liquid/sauce were very simple:
rear left-to-right: worcestershire sauce, white wine vinegar and honey with white wine and 2 cloves of chopped garlic in the foreground.
for the white wine proscribed by the recipe, i elected to use carlo rossi's rhine wine, which was very good both by itself and incombination with the ribs. not the BEST wine out there, of course, but certainly a good dual-purpose wine, and the bright, crisp highlights of fresh apple taste really went well with the pork.
here's the last of the honey going into the measuring cup:
and then, since i had chunks of garlic floating, sinking and everywhere else, i decided to give the mixture a whirl with the wand blender to make sure that distribution was equal for both racks of ribs:
when i took the foil-wrapped ribs out of the fridge and prepared to open up an end to put in the braising liquid, i realized that i had neglected to get heavy-duty foil. it tore in several places and was punctured in others when i tried to unwrap and re-wrap, so on the spot i simply decided to lay the racks in the bottom of our large roasting pan:
and cover both racks together with a tight canopy of foil:
this seemed like it would probably do the trick, but for extra insurance, i also lowered a flat cookie sheet upside-down on top of the foil, then covered the roasting pan as well - then it was into the oven at 250 degrees.
because these were spare ribs and therefore had a little more fat and collagen etc. on them, i cooked for about three and a half hours rather than two and a half. during that time, the smells filling the house were incredible, and it seemed i could pick out nearly every ingredient in the rub and braising liquid.
when the time came to remove them from the oven, i finally got a peek at what i had created:
these of course were more brown and much more moist than what i am used to, but they sure looked and smelled great! i set them on a rack to rest:
while i begain the process of reducing all of the pan juices from this:
down to a thick, rich, saucy concoction:
which i then brushed onto the ribs:
this rich sauce, when brushed on, became a very effective glaze when placed under the broiler at 450 degrees for a few minutes. departing with the recipe a little, i brushed on a second layer:
and broiled at 500 for a few more minutes. the result was just about right:
i let them rest for just a few minutes more while we got plates, silverware etc., then cut into two-rib portions and served them out with home-made potato salad.
i was impressed with this first attempt at the recipe, and i think the execution went very well, all things considered. the ribs were done very well and were of course tender due to the braising, yet not mushy or fall-apart soft. there was some tug down near the bone, and i actually think i could have cooked them a while longer, but no worries.
as usual, there was a neighbour kid on hand to try these ribs as well, so i was able to get a sort of unbiased (pro or con) view of the results. everyone who tried them liked them, including mrs. tas who said that the flavours worked very well together. i have to agree, but....
i just KNOW that these same ingredients and these same ribs would have been even BETTER if cooked over the slow smoke provided by my SnP!
in conclusion, while i think the ingredients and flavours are spot on, and the method is very good for those who are looking for oven-braised ribs, i would really like to try these over charcoal and hickory in order to see what would happen when using a dry-cooking method. the braising liquid, with a little olive oil added, would make a good mop/glaze that would be a crowning touch, i think.
i definitely encourage anyone to try this using either method, and would love to hear about some results.
well, we gave this one a try last night, and i am thoroughly convinced that the flavours involved were just right when it comes to bringing out some of the best that pork ribs have to offer. i've always been a fan of alton brown, and i continue to be impressed with his stuff when i try it. these ribs, cooked by a different method than i am used to (braising vs. barbecue), were no exception!
here is the recipe:
Who Loves Ya Baby-Back?
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown
Prep Time: 1 hr 10 min; Cook Time: 3 hr 25 min
Dry Rub:
8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Braising Liquid:
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Place each slab of baby back ribs on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle each side generously with the dry rub. Pat the dry rub into the meat. Refrigerate the ribs for a minimum of 1 hour.
In a microwavable container, combine all ingredients for the braising liquid. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Open one end of the foil on each slab and pour half of the braising liquid into each foil packet. Tilt the baking sheet in order to equally distribute the braising liquid. Braise the ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer the braising liquid into a medium saucepot. Bring the liquid to a simmer and reduce by half or until of a thick syrup consistency. Brush the glaze onto the ribs. Place under the broiler just until the glaze caramelizes lightly. Slice each slab into 2 rib bone portions. Place the remaining hot glaze into a bowl and toss the rib portions in the glaze.
*This recipe makes several batches of dry rub. If more rub is needed, it can be extended by any amount, as long as the ratio of 8:3:1:1:1 remains the same.
and here we go....
as per the recipe above, here are the goods (not pictured are the ribs themselves):
a couple of notes here: i did not have kosher salt and none was available at our local grocery, so i ended up using sea salt with no ill effects that i could detect. also, due to the strong aversion that the beautiful mrs. tas has to capsaicin, i simply doubled the old bay and chili powder in place of the cayenne and jalapeņo powder. finally, since i had no brown sugar on hand, i used turbinado (raw) sugar.
first, i put together the rub, doubling the measurements. since i was using components that had such a diversity of size and textures, i decided to try mixing the rub in the food processor:
on the base of the sugar and salt, we see here most of the other ingredients for the rub:
even after several minutes in the food processor, i didn't get the uniformity that i was looking for; however, i did note with pleasure that the smaller, finer components of the rub worked into the larger portions (such as the cugar crystals) pretty well. perhaps a blender would have worked a little better, but this was going to be ok, i decided.
after transferring some of the rub to a shaker:
i liberally applied it to the ribs:
the ribs were purchased that morning on the spur of the moment when mrs. tas and i went shopping at our local grocery. they were trimmed very well and even though the label (and price) said "spare ribs," i had to do several double-takes as they looked quite a bit like baby backs to me:
since the cooking method for these ribs is to braise them for the entire time, i elected not to brush on a thin coat of mustard, which is my usual practice when doing dry ribs.
once both racks were well-coated with rub and wrapped up tightly in foil, i put them in the fridge for a couple of hours to soak up the goodness and begin their transformation into supper. the components for the braising liquid/sauce were very simple:
rear left-to-right: worcestershire sauce, white wine vinegar and honey with white wine and 2 cloves of chopped garlic in the foreground.
for the white wine proscribed by the recipe, i elected to use carlo rossi's rhine wine, which was very good both by itself and incombination with the ribs. not the BEST wine out there, of course, but certainly a good dual-purpose wine, and the bright, crisp highlights of fresh apple taste really went well with the pork.
here's the last of the honey going into the measuring cup:
and then, since i had chunks of garlic floating, sinking and everywhere else, i decided to give the mixture a whirl with the wand blender to make sure that distribution was equal for both racks of ribs:
when i took the foil-wrapped ribs out of the fridge and prepared to open up an end to put in the braising liquid, i realized that i had neglected to get heavy-duty foil. it tore in several places and was punctured in others when i tried to unwrap and re-wrap, so on the spot i simply decided to lay the racks in the bottom of our large roasting pan:
and cover both racks together with a tight canopy of foil:
this seemed like it would probably do the trick, but for extra insurance, i also lowered a flat cookie sheet upside-down on top of the foil, then covered the roasting pan as well - then it was into the oven at 250 degrees.
because these were spare ribs and therefore had a little more fat and collagen etc. on them, i cooked for about three and a half hours rather than two and a half. during that time, the smells filling the house were incredible, and it seemed i could pick out nearly every ingredient in the rub and braising liquid.
when the time came to remove them from the oven, i finally got a peek at what i had created:
these of course were more brown and much more moist than what i am used to, but they sure looked and smelled great! i set them on a rack to rest:
while i begain the process of reducing all of the pan juices from this:
down to a thick, rich, saucy concoction:
which i then brushed onto the ribs:
this rich sauce, when brushed on, became a very effective glaze when placed under the broiler at 450 degrees for a few minutes. departing with the recipe a little, i brushed on a second layer:
and broiled at 500 for a few more minutes. the result was just about right:
i let them rest for just a few minutes more while we got plates, silverware etc., then cut into two-rib portions and served them out with home-made potato salad.
i was impressed with this first attempt at the recipe, and i think the execution went very well, all things considered. the ribs were done very well and were of course tender due to the braising, yet not mushy or fall-apart soft. there was some tug down near the bone, and i actually think i could have cooked them a while longer, but no worries.
as usual, there was a neighbour kid on hand to try these ribs as well, so i was able to get a sort of unbiased (pro or con) view of the results. everyone who tried them liked them, including mrs. tas who said that the flavours worked very well together. i have to agree, but....
i just KNOW that these same ingredients and these same ribs would have been even BETTER if cooked over the slow smoke provided by my SnP!
in conclusion, while i think the ingredients and flavours are spot on, and the method is very good for those who are looking for oven-braised ribs, i would really like to try these over charcoal and hickory in order to see what would happen when using a dry-cooking method. the braising liquid, with a little olive oil added, would make a good mop/glaze that would be a crowning touch, i think.
i definitely encourage anyone to try this using either method, and would love to hear about some results.
and points for all the detail!! 
" -- 
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