I was completely stoked with how the marinade came out for these pork ribs. These are great as is, just served with a side dish or two. But I was specifically making them so I could chop them up in the food processor and use them in spring rolls! I'd happily use this recipe on chicken as well.
Been listening to old AFI recently, when they were a little faster and a little grittier, so went with "Lower Your Head And Take It In The Body". -jen
CHAR SIU PORK RIBS (CHINESE BARBECUE PORK) Prep Time: 6-8 hours for marinating Cook Time: about 30 minutes Difficulty: Easy
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup hoisen sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice powder
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1.5 teaspoons red powdered food colouring
3/4 teaspoons orange powdered food colouring
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
4-6 large boneless pork ribs (country-style ribs), about 3 pounds
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the pork ribs. Microwave for 1 minute and whisk again. Place pork ribs in a gallon sized Ziplock bag and add 2/3 of the char siu sauce to the bag. Marinate in refrigerator for 6-8 hours.
Add 1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil to the remaining char siu sauce, cover, and refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
After marinating, place ribs on a large baking sheet (I recommend lining with foil to make clean up easy because the sugars will burn!) Roast until rib temperature reaches 120 degrees F (about 20 minutes), turning and basting ribs with remaining sauce every 10 minutes. When ribs reach 120 degrees internally, turn up heat to 425 degrees F and cook until ribs reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees F (about 10 minutes). The higher heat at the end helps the charring, but if you're looking for even more of a candied char on the outside, stick 'em under your broiler until they're to your liking.
Jen and I love to try our own BBQ sauces and whatnot as it gives us a chance to learn how to make something we love and it let's us tailor them to our specific likes. I've played around with a few different "styles" of BBQ and have always had a fondness for fruit sauces that have heat! I've done some lime chipotle, a few blackberry ones, a blueberry, as well as various vinegar bases and tomato bases, different types of booze to flavor them, and fresh vs dried/powdered ingredients. This time, I felt like trying to recreate a Raspberry Chipotle that I had years ago. It came out sweet and smokey with a long slow burn that isn't too strong at all. Exactly what I was going for!
In addition to BBQ sauce, I recently tried my hand at a mustard dill sauce. There's a local company here that sells one that residents rave about and it seemed simple enough to mimic the flavors. It's sweet, sour, and has a strong herbiness to it that regular mustard doesn't have. Some folks don't dig curry (and I respect that) so just leave the seasonings out if you prefer something like a dill/honey/mustard sauce. This would go well on a sandwich, or on a bagel with cream cheese, in a wrap, in potato/egg/pasta salad, or whisk with a little olive oil for a quick salad dressing.
Lately, I've been listening to some hardcore punk, some gutter stuff, and some real garage sounding stuff. During this cooking session, I happened to be blasting some early AFI (whom I've always had a soft spot for because of my high school days and having grown up around various band members) back before they had developed their popular sound and style and thinking that they were absolutely the first punk performance I'd ever seen. I remember watching them in '93 at the small amphitheater in Low Gap Park and wondering if they'd ever make it big. Makes me feel glad to have heard them practicing in garages and playing high school parties and stuff back in my youth before they got so big. Anyway, so here's one of their songs off their first full album Answer That And Stay Fashionable called "Rizzo In The Box". - justin
Mustard Dill Sauce Time: 10 minutes Difficulty: A five year old could do it Makes: 1 3/4 cups sauce
1 cup yellow mustard (I used French's but feel free to use stoneground, dijon or whatever you desire)
3/4 cup honey or dark agave necter
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp lemongrass powder or ground coriander
Here's the tricky part. Just mix it all together. Store in the fridge or use right away.
Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce Time: 45min Difficulty: Medium Makes: Roughly a quart
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium shallot (1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
6 oz fresh raspberries
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp molasses
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp amaretto (or other booze if you like)
2 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tbsp Chipotles in Adobo, pureed
10 oz Raspberry preserves
salt and pepper to taste
In a large sauce pan heat oil over medium heat and add shallot, garlic and raspberry when hot. Sweat until shallot is translucent and raspberries break down, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add sugar, vinegar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, amaretto, mustard, chili powder, black pepper, allspice, tomato paste, and chipotles. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Add the raspberry preserves and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes, or until desired thickness is reached. Puree for a smooth consistency. Strain through a colander with small mesh if you don't like the seeds. Refrigerate.
