pork ribs Archives - Page 2 of 2

Well, the snow is just about gone for good and Calgary has been getting a fair amount of sunshine lately. When it comes to the weekend and the sun is shining down, all my friends and I want to do is sit outside, soaking up the rays and enjoying some good food and, perhaps, a beverage or two.

The first part of this recipe is really straightforward when it comes to the ribs. The spin on a salsa verde is what really elevates everything. You don’t need to have it with only ribs, try it with tenderloin or chops too. Just promise me one thing: If there’s warm weather, eat your dinner

outside!

What you’ll need…

Pork Ribs:

1 rack pork ribs (halved)

salt and pepper (to season)

1 1/2 cups mild barbecue sauce

Salsa Verde:

1 clove garlic

1 lemon (zest and juice)

1 1/2 cups fresh spinach (firmly packed)

1 tbsp capers

1 tbsp caper juice

2 tsp liquid honey

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper (to season)

Directions:

Pork Ribs:

Fill a large pot 2/3 full of water, salt generously and bring to a boil on high heat.

Reduce to medium-high heat, add pork ribs and let cook for 45 minutes.

Remove from water, pat dry with paper towel, season with salt and pepper and brush with barbecue sauce until well-coated.

Grill on barbecue, applying more barbecue sauce and flipping over regularly until both sides are caramelized, about 15 minutes.

Take off grill and let rest for several minutes before portioning to serve.

Salsa Verde:

Place all ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor or blender and puree until a paste forms.

Continue to puree while slowly adding in the olive oil until the consistency is very smooth.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, transfer to a container and keep in the fridge to use as desired.

Will keep in the fridge for several days.

Serves 2-3 (will yield 1 1/2 cups salsa verde)

Total cook time…1 hour, 10 min

When the temperature dips, it’s time to start braising! Big Rock Brewery recently came out with their ‘Lumberjack’ sampler pack across Canada, so I took to experimenting with some of the seasonal brews in my kitchen. I made this hearty pork rib and brussels sprout dish in my slow cooker with minimal effort.

Nothing like throwing everything into one pot and letting it slow cook all day while you’re at work. No stress when it comes to dinnertime. It’s almost better the next day, when the ribs have extra time to chill (no pun intended) in their braising liquid to soak up all of the robust flavours!

What you’ll need…

1 rack pork back ribs (cut in half)

1 yellow onion (halved and thinly sliced)

3 cloves garlic

2 meyer lemons (1/2″ sliced)

1 leek (trimmed and quartered)

3 cups brussels sprouts (trimmed and halved)

1 24oz can diced tomatoes

1 bottle dark ale (I used Big Rock’s Twisted Antler Ale)

1 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 TBSP tomato paste

2 TBSP white wine vinegar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

Place the first 6 ingredients in your slow cooker. Place remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well-incorporated. Pour contents of bowl into the slow cooker. Cover, turn to low heat and let braise for 4-5 hours.

Let cool slightly before serving. Serve on rice or

couscous.

Serves 4

Total cook time…5 hours

Tag: pork ribs

Recipe: Barbecue Pork Ribs with Spinach and Caper ‘Salsa Verde’

Recipe: Beer Braised Pork Ribs with Brussels Sprouts