Here is a twist on the loyal and safe pork spare rib. I recently cooked indoors Balinese roast pork and thought to myself … this could be converted to a barbecue recipe for ribs. These ribs will really bring the sunshine to your life and are simply delicious! With a total prep-and-cook time of 2h30m, it is a labour of love but, believe me, so worth it.
INGREDIENTS
Pork rib brine
■ 1kg to 1.5kg of pork ribs
■ 3 litres of water
■ 4 tablespoons of salt
■ 2 to 3 bay leaves
■ 2 large onions
Sweet sauce mixture
■ 240ml of thick soy sauce
■ 100gms of brown sugar
■ 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
Spices and herbs mixture
■ 20g ginger
■ 2 cloves garlic (2 tablespoons)
■ ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
■ 60g shallot (about 1 large shallot)
■ 30g lemongrass
■ 1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
■ 8 small pieces lime zest
■ One small chilli (optional)
■ ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
■ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
■ 100ml oil
■ Juice of half a lime added right at the end of cooking
INSTRUCTIONS
Preparation of the pork ribs
1. Remove the membrane of the pork ribs and clean it
2. Add the pork ribs to a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes to remove all the scums from the ribs
3. Throw away the water and clean the ribs
4. In a cleaned pot, add 3 litres of water, onions, salt, bay leaf and the pork ribs
5. Bring to boil over a medium-high heat
6. Lower the heat to medium-low and allow the ribs to simmer for 2 hours until they fall apart tender
7. When the ribs are done, remove and pat dry
Preparing the sweet sauce mixture
1. Add all the ingredients for the sweet sauce mixture to a bowl and set aside.
Blend the herbs and spices
1. Add all the herbs and spices to a blender and blend until smooth.
Making the sweet glaze for the ribs
1. Heat the sauce over a medium heat until the sauce thickens. Do not over-thicken as it will make brushing the ribs with the glaze difficult.
Grilling the ribs
1. Prepare your BBQ to a medium-hot heat 30 minutes before the brine is finished.
2. Put the ribs on the grill and give them a generous coating of the sweet sauce glaze.
3. Grill the ribs for 10 minutes turning once during the cook.
4. Heat a pan over a medium heat and add the blended herbs and spices and stir fry until fragrant.
5. Add the sweet sauce half way through your grill and brush the ribs with another coating of the glaze.
6. The ribs are served with lemon and lime wedges and some chilli sauce.
By CHRIS WINSTANLEY
