In a perfect world, we would barbecue every day. Wait, scratch that — we would have a fire pit in the back yard. Something big, cavernous and most importantly HOT. And we would barbecue meat and vegetables every day. Maybe the occasional pizza. Wouldn’t that be awesome!?
Unfortunately, life is hectic and constantly busy and sometimes you have to find clever ways to satisfy your craving for barbecued ribs on a Wednesday night after a nearly week-long business trip. No, I’m not pregnant, just barbecue-deprived after nearly 3 months of triple-digit sunsets that made our deck unbearable before 11 PM. Where was I? Oh yes, RIBS.
I came across this recipe while perusing the Bon Appetit website a few days before my trip last week. It detailed a slightly different preparation method than the last rack of ribs we oven-baked, so I bookmarked it try. I liked the idea of infusing the meat with lemon and rosemary, and using the juices to make the glaze.
So we picked up a rack of ribs and prepped them over our lunch break last Thursday. We sliced them in half, sprinkled them generously with salt and pepper, and then placed one of the rib slabs bone-side up on a rimmed baking sheet that I lined with parchment on the bottom and double-foil over the top. We then placed thin slices of lemon over the rib slab, and in the middle we added two sprigs of rosemary and plenty of minced garlic. We then laid the second rack of ribs bone-side down evenly over the top of the other rib slab.
We then wrapped them in parchment and foil and placed them in an oven preheated to 350° for 1 1/2 hours. I removed them and let them sit for about 45 minutes before discarding the lemon and rosemary, placing them in a container, and into the fridge to wait for dinner. I carefully collected the juices from the pan into a glass measuring cup, covered it with plastic wrap and placed it in the fridge.
When we were ready to eat, we set the oven to broil and went to work preparing the glaze. We brought the pork juice to a slow simmer with minced rosemary and garlic, along with lemon juice (2 tbsp.) and zest in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. We added a little Arrowroot powder whisked with about a 1 tbsp. of water to thicken and then seasoned with salt and pepper. We separated the ribs and placed them on the baking sheet and placed them in the oven, turning them occasionally and letting them brown (it took about 9-10 minutes). Once they were done, we brushed them with the glaze and lightly dusted them with Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese Seven Spice) and chopped scallions to finish them.
These were delicious! Super juicy and the Seven Spice gives them a slight sweetness that I didn’t expect. With this method, so much of the prep can be done in advance and then finished in a mere 20 minutes before you’re ready to eat. Sure, they lack the good smoke of a BBQ rib, but this method produces a solid tasting rib and is definitely one we’re going to try again with some other flavors. And they’re Paleo!
Try a kitchen shortcut recently that delivered a delicious result? We’d love to hear it!
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