Recipe: BBQ Ribs “A decade in the making”

Serves 8 skinny sods or 4 greedy gits!

This is a very special recipe that has evolved over the years with lots of trial and error the biggest problem I had was the first stage of cooking the ribs…..do I boil them to soften the meat but lose some of the flavour or do I roast them keeping the ribs tasty but leaving the meat very tough? About 2 years ago I came across the perfect combination of the two techniques, wrapping the ribs in cling film effectively steams them in their own moisture allowing them to become very tender without losing any flavour and the outer layer of tin foil stops the cling film from melting in the oven…..genius!

This recipe has quite a big shopping list but these spices have a long shelf life and can be used in many other recipes.


INGREDIENTS:

3kg Pork Ribs (try to get whole racks rather than individual ribs, this makes everything much easier and is the only way you will be able to remove to tough membrane underneath the ribs)


DRY RUB INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Tea Spoon Fennel Seeds

1/2 Tea Spoon Mustard Seeds

1/2 Tea Spoon Cumin Seeds

1/2 Tea Spoon Coriander Seeds

1 Tea Spoon Pork Seasoning

1 Tea Spoon Paprika

1 Tea Spoon Chilli Flakes

1/3 Tea Spoon Cinnamon

1/3 Tea Spoon Black Pepper

1 Tea Spoon Sea Salt

1 Tea Spoon Cajun Seasoning

2 Tea Spoons Garlic Powder

1 Tea Spoon Chicken Seasoning


BBQ SAUCE:

4 Small Chillies

1 Large Clove Garlic

½ inch Fresh Ginger

2 Table Spoons Rice Vinegar

6 Table Spoons Dark Soy Sauce

6 Table Spoons Ketchup

12 Table Spoons Honey

1 Table Spoon Sugar

1 Tea Spoons English Mustard

1 Tea Spoon Sea Salt


METHOD:

If you can you should start making these ribs the day before you intend on eating them, this will allow the flavours to intensify and also make everything a whole lot easier.


Day 1:

Crush Fennel Seeds, Mustard Seeds, Cumin Seeds and Coriander Seeds in pestle and mortar then add all the other dry rub ingredients.

Peel back the thin see through membrane from the bony underside of the ribs, you will only be able to do this if you have whole racks of ribs (not individual ribs) and it should all come off in one piece.

Apply dry rub to ribs.

Wrap ribs in cling film (2 layers) and then tin foil (2 layers) then leave in fridge for at least 4 hours.

Place ribs (still in cling film and foil) in oven for 2 hours 30 minutes at gas mark 5.

Allow ribs to totally cool (still wrapped in cling film and foil) and then put them in the fridge.

BBQ Sauce:

Blend all ingredients to make a smooth sauce then boil/simmer until you’re happy with taste, allow to cool, cover and place in fridge.


Day 2:

Finally…..you can now remove the ribs from their cosy cling film and tin foil sleeping bag. Baste ribs with BBQ sauce and grill for 15 minutes while continually basting with more BBQ sauce every 3-5 minutes to build up a layer of thick sticky sauce.

Serve with potato wedges, corn on the cob, homemade coleslaw and lots of salad!


Harry Federchi.