Honey, I Ate All The Spare Ribs!

Ever since a certain Crown Heights Kosher Smokehouse opened up I've been craving ribs a bit more than usual. Ahem, Izzy's. Ahem, Dinosaur BBQ Ribs. The only problem is that I can't always drive 30 minutes for my rib fix. If you are anything like me, you like your meat to be soft, juicy and fall off the bone tender. That's not to say I don't appreciate a good steak every now and then, it's just that when meat is easily pulled a part by only a fork and barely any pressure, that's sexy. Who wants to sit there cutting back and forth and putting a days worth of effort into cutting a piece of meat only to then have to chew it for another three minutes? Not me. So when I spotted a gorgeous package of freshly cut, red Spare Ribs, I said to myself this is something that I'm going to make and I'm going to make it well.

I should tell you, I had never cooked Spare Ribs before. The first thing I think of when I have absolutely no idea how to cook something is to make it Asian style. You can practically never go wrong when you make something with a combination of the Asian flavor trifecta - Garlic, Ginger & Scallions. Add in some Soy, Sesame, Teriyaki, Sriracha and you've just hit the jackpot. If you are a novice, don't go too heavy on the Soy Sauce because that's one thing you can never take away from a dish but can always add. In my Spare Rib research period I asked around to find out how other people cook their ribs. I got a few answers that I was not particularly fond of. Like, why would I want to boil my meat prior to sticking it in the oven? I'm trying to make things simple, not overly complicated, and by that I mean I only want to use, read my lips, ONE dish!

I decided to grab everything from my fridge that I had ever seen connected to Asian cooking. If you are looking to make this dish and don't have all of the ingredients, you should pick them up because I can show you how to use them in so much more than just this one recipe. My stocked pantry and fridge are the key to being able to whip up an awesome meal with ingredients on hand. Don't worry I'm not asking you to buy anything you can't pronounce or have never seen or tasted before. You will like these ingredients and you will use them time and time again.

These Spare Ribs are a great dish to make when you are trying to impress someone who is eating over. It's almost completely hands off and will make your house smell like heaven. If your guests were not hungry before they stepped foot in your house, they will be once they get a whiff of this dish. My husband was so in love with this the first time I made it that he begged me to make it again that same week. He also ate what was left of it while he was half sleeping. Once he took a bite though, he was wide awake.

Let's get cooking!

Sweet & Spicy Asian Style Spare Ribs

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Light Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Mikee Teriyaki Sauce
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 Tbs. Sesame Oil
1 Tbs. Burning Bush Hot Sauce
1 Tbs. Fresh Ginger, minced or 3 Frozen Ginger Cubes
1 Jalapeno, sliced
Juice of 1 Lime
3-4 Scallions, sliced
1 Head of Garlic, with top sliced off. Plus 2 Cloves of Garlic, sliced or minced
2 Tbs. Sesame Seeds

1 Package of Beef Spare Ribs, 1-1 & a 1/2 lbs. (not boneless)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Chose an ovenproof dish that will fit all the meat comfortably. 

I used a medium sized glass Pyrex. Combine all of the ingredients in the dish, except the Spare Ribs.

 Mix everything well with a fork and add in the Ribs. 

Make sure that the Ribs are completely coated with the marinade. 

Cover with foil and stick in the oven for 2 & 1/2 to 3 hours. Check on the meat every hour. 

When the meat comes away easily when stuck with a fork, uncover the dish and raise the temperature to 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. 

Enjoy!

P.S. These ribs are great over some Brown Rice or any other hearty grain. 

Just be sure you make enough to go around :)