Oven Roasted Pork Ribs
with Hoisin-Cranberry BBQ sauce and Asian Coleslaw
Serves 4
1 cup naturally brewed rice vinegar
2 full slabs baby backs, brined overnight*
1 large red onion, rough chopped
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon sambal or favorite chile sauce
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup hoisin sauce
Canola or grapeseed oil for cooking
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour rice vinegar into roasting pan with flat rack. Place brined baby backs on rack and cover tightly with foil — you’ll need to cut the racks to fit in the pan. Bake in oven until all the liquid is gone, about 1 1/2 hours. In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, coat lightly with oil and saute onion and ginger for 2 minutes, then season. Add sambal, cranberries and hoisin sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Use a handblender to buzz smooth and check for flavor. When ribs are done cooking, remove foil and slather BBQ sauce on underside. Broil to brown, flip ribs, slather more sauce on and broil that side. Slice into ribs and serve.
* Brine method: Use sweet sea water ratio: 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup kosher salt to 1 quart water, multiply as necessary to fully submerge pork in a large container. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Rinse under running water before cooking.
Asian Coleslaw:
1/2 cup Thai fish sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Korean chile flake
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup Thai basil leaves, chiffonade
3 cups Napa cabbage, 1/8-inch ribbons (about 1 head)
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced, green parts only
1 cup bean sprouts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large bowl, combine fish sauce, vinegar, chile and sugar and whisk to blend. Add Thai basil, cabbage, carrots, scallions and bean sprouts. Toss to combine and season if necessary. Ideally, let sit for a few minutes before serving to allow flavors to develop.
Wine Notes:
2005 Erath Oregon Pinot Noir
Bright, fresh fruit aromas of cherry, raspberry and blueberry. Flavors of fruit with a touch of vanilla and spice. A very versatile wine, this pairs equally well with the Oven Roasted Pork Ribs and the Cranberry-Hoisin-Chicken Rice from this episode.
Tsingtao Beer
The spice from the Ja Jian Mien pairs beautifully with this malty beer.
>>This recipe appears in Episode #515.
