Braised Spare Ribs with Pasta

It's great to be back to No Free Lunch! I'll mainly blame my absence on a particularly busy time at work, plus caring for a baby at home. The other reason is that we've had to go dairy and soy free, at least for the time being. This threw a huge wrench in the works for my cooking, as long time readers will know my love for both cheese and various fermented soy bean products. This has left me in a bit of a rut, cooking-wise, and a lot of our old standbys have gone out the window. Recently, I've developed this dairy and soy free braised spare ribs recipe. It's loosely inspired by Mark Bittman's simple braised ribs recipes featured his book, Mark Bittman's Kitchen Matrix. This is where I got the idea to have ribs with pasta. It's a winning combination, and I don't miss the dairy too much here.

Adding some umami-rich ingredients to braises is an idea that's been floating around the internet for a while (Kenji was an early proponent on Serious Eats). Soy sauce and parmesan rinds are usually my go-to choices, exemplified by my chicken and mushroom pasta from a few years ago. Although soy sauce isn't in that recipe, I have subsequently included some mushroom-flavored dark soy sauce. Since we've had to give up both soy and dairy, I've turned to tomato paste and anchovies for this recipe. I also love some acidity in this type of dish, and include the usual splash of vinegar. If you don't have to omit dairy, I couldn't fault adding some grated parmesan at the table, but we did not do that, of course.

The other benefit of braised ribs is that they are an ideal food for a baby! We have been introducing Shayna to food using baby-led weaning, where we let her explore food on her own rather than feeding her purees. Early on, babies need food with a long shape to grab onto, and ribs provide this with a built-in handle. She's taken to them like a star!

Sichuan-Style Braised Spare Ribs (紅燒排骨)

This recipe is based on one I meant to post back in May, but I wasn't quite satisfied with how it turned out. The original was my version of Pei Mei's Sichuan-style beef stew. It is a dish in the hongshao (red cooked) style of braised meat, similar to Chairman Mao's pork belly. This time, though, I decided to adapt it to spare ribs, which I had in the freezer. The result was thoroughly enjoyable. Although I still prefer the pork belly version, this is a nice change of pace. The ribs fall right off the bone and the sauce pairs well with rice. While I'm not sure this would be considered an "authentic" Sichuan-style recipe, I do think I've respected the style, and it turned out well.

The main difference in terms of seasoning between this and Chairman Mao's pork belly is that it swaps out the sugar for doubanjiang, the hot bean paste which is a cornerstone of Sichuan flavor. Using just two tablespoons gives the sauce a background heat, but doesn't take over. It is, however, very salty. This makes it effectively immortal in the refrigerator, but can be overpowering. While the rice does balance this out, I might compensate by cutting the soy sauce back a bit next time. Other than the garlic, everything else here has appeared in my previous hongshao recipes. The pork stock I used is the same as in the Chairman's pork. If you like Sichuan peppercorns, they can also be added. With how big the flavors are in this dish, it works well with a simple green vegetable as a side. We had stir-fried snap peas.

Steamed Spareribs with Fermented Black Beans (豉汁排骨)

Greetings, dear readers! It's good to be back. To my shame, it turns out this is only my third post this year. Unfortunately, with a very busy spring semester at IU, the blog suffered. I hope to make up for the deficiency this summer. Pei Mei's Chinese Cook Book is still full of fun, weird stuff I can't wait to try, modernize, and share with you. I've got some exciting stuff planned for the next few weeks, so stay tuned. 

We're starting off with something simple, but a true classic -- dim sum-style spare ribs. I'm a huge fan of dim sum (it's in my blood!) and my attempts to recreate traditional dim sum dishes will always be a big part of No Free Lunch. As far as dim sum goes, it doesn't get any easier than this. This recipe is my own, based on three others: Pei Mei, Chan's Classic Deem Sum, and The Woks of Life. The Chinese name, chizhi paigu (see jup pai gwut in Cantonese) translates to "fermented bean juice spareribs," pretty straightforward, for a change.

There are two notable ingredients to discuss. The first are the ribs themselves. American supermarkets typically don't have spareribs cut up in the way we need. In this case, I found them at an Asian grocery, but if you can find a butcher to cut them up for you, that works too. I have previously made these from a whole rack of spareribs. Cutting up the thick bones is not practical at home, so I used the big end of the rack for braising and cut up the small end (with its softer bones) for steaming. The other ingredient is douchi -- fermented black beans. These are pretty easy to find at Chinese stores. This ingredient has shown up once before, in my stir fried fish recipe. One final note: most recipes include minced hot peppers. I omitted them, but if you like your ribs spicy, put them in.

This recipe is per pound of ribs. I had about 2 1/2 pounds, and adjusted the marinade accordingly. 

Ingredients

• 1 lb. spare ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 Tbs. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbs. fermented black beans, rinsed
• 1 Tbs. Shaoxing wine or sherry
• 1 green onion, chopped (white part only)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs minced hot pepper (optional)

Instructions

To rinse the beans, mix with a little water in a bowl, then pour off the water through fingers or a strainer. Do this twice. Mix all ingredients in a large plastic bag or bowl. Add the ribs, and mix well. Marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours, one if you're in a hurry. Mix about halfway through.

Ready to steam

Prepare the wok for steaming. I use a steamer rack inside the wok, and fill the water to just below the rack. Get the water boiling. Place the rib mixture in a dish or bowl, and place on the rack. Cover and let steam until the ribs are cooked through.

Once the ribs start steaming, get some water boiling on the side. Check the ribs after every 10 minutes for temperature and water level. Add hot water as needed. If you are making a lot of ribs, such that there are multiple layers in the dish, mix them around for even cooking. Larger batches will take longer. Mine took about 30-40 minutes. Serve the ribs on their own or with rice.

Soy & Vinegar Braised Spare Ribs

Long-time readers will surely know I am a big fan of stews and braises. Normally, when I make ribs, I go with back ribs and grill them. I was inspired by Mark Bittman's "3 Ways to Do Ribs" to try braising spare ribs. I created this dish using his basic technique and a flavor profile inspired by Pei Mei's various stew recipes. This turns out to be a winning combination. Her stew recipes seem to skip the time-honored step (at least in French cooking) of browning the meat before adding the liquid. The meat falls right off the bone, and the vinegar gives it a tangy kick. I originally developed this recipe using pork shoulder roast cut into cubes, which is also a good option. I suspect a beef chuck roast would also work well. 

It's time to talk about soy sauce. Until recently, I haven't given the topic much thought and basically used green cap Kikkoman for everything. I'm not an expert on the subject, but I have switched to using a proper Chinese soy sauce. For this, I used Pearl River Bridge light soy sauce, available for a few dollars at Asian grocery stores. I'm also trying out different vinegar brands. For this recipe, I used half and half Kong Yen (my usual brand) and the more pungent Gold Plum. I like both, but find the Gold Plum needs to be cut a little.

Ingredients

• 2 lb. spare ribs (use the larger end of the rack)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs grated ginger
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup Chinese light soy sauce
• 1/2 cup black vinegar
• 1 Tbs sesame oil
• 2 Tbs sherry/rice wine
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 1 Tbs sugar
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut the meat into individual ribs (I had 8 pieces). Heat a little vegetable oil in a dutch oven or other oven-safe pan with a lid on medium high heat. In batches, brown the ribs on two sides. I found it easiest to brown the cut sides, but this may depend on your ribs. Set the ribs aside.

Turn the heat down to medium. Briefly saute the garlic, ginger, and green onion. Add all remaining ingredients and mix together. Return the ribs to the pan, in a single layer, if possible. Turn heat up and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 1 hour.

Remove the ribs and set aside. There will likely be a lot of grease that rendered out during cooking floating on top of the braising liquid. The easiest way to get rid of this is by making the ribs a day ahead of time and refrigerating over night. The fat will then be easy to scrape off, and you can reheat the ribs by putting the whole dish back in the oven. Otherwise, tilt the pan and use a spoon to carefully skim off the grease. Drizzle some braising liquid on the ribs and serve. I served with steamed rice and stir fried napa cabbage.

Grilled Back Ribs

No Free Lunch is back, and today, we're cooking with gas. With summer upon us, I've decided to return with one of my favorite outdoor meals, ribs. I recently got wind that Ariel's mom was looking for my barbecue rub, and was disappointed to find there was not a post about it. So, dear readers, ask and you shall receive.

I have been a lifelong rib lover, and have been making them regularly since we got a grill about a year ago. I have even shoveled out the deck to get my fix in the chillier months. I have also done this same basic recipe with pork spare ribs. Another good way to use the rub is on thinly sliced boneless pork loin.

Ingredients

Dry Rub

• 3 parts paprika
• 2 parts black pepper
• 2 parts ground cumin
• 1 part garlic powder
• 1 part onion powder
• 1 part turmeric
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Everything else

• Racks of pork back ribs
• Salt
• Barbecue sauce

Instructions

Slice each rack into pieces of about 4-5 bones each. This will give us more browned "edge" pieces while grilling them, as well as making it easier to manipulate them on the grill. Salt both sides of the ribs.

The proportions of the dry rub are approximate, and you should feel free to adjust it to your preference. The base rub is not spicy at all, so if you desire some heat, add a little cayenne pepper. Assemble the rub and apply liberally to both sides.

Fire up the grill and cook the ribs on indirect heat with the cover down until mostly cooked. You can do this either by lighting half of the grill and placing the ribs on the unlit side, or by using the upper rack (if your grill has them). Using the second method is quicker, and you will want to monitor them and flip occasionally. The pictured ribs spent about 35 minutes on the unlit side, and then about 15 on the upper rack of the lit side to get some color on them.

The ribs immediately before saucing

Next, brush both sides of the ribs with barbecue sauce, then move them onto the direct flame (lower rack). Grill for a few minutes on each side, until some char develops. The result will be tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Serve with more barbecue sauce. I used Trader Joe's Kansas City style barbecue sauce today, but have often made my own. It's easy to do and includes mostly ingredients you will have around the house. See below for my barbecue sauce recipe.

Barbecue Sauce

• 2 c ketchup
• 1 c water
• 1/2 c vinegar
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tbs onion powder
• 1/2 tbs paprika
• 1/2 tbs ground mustard
• 1/2 tbs black pepper
• 1/2 tbs garlic powder
• Liquid smoke (optional)

Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to integrate. Transfer to an airtight container. The sauce keeps well in the refrigerator.