Sweet and Spicy Ribs

I have had ribs lots of times. In restaurants, at my parents' house... but I'd never thought to try making them myself. I think part of my reluctance was the expectation that any attempt would take a lot more effort and hassle than I was willing to deal with. However, this recipe was pleasantly surprising. The only fiddly bit is the mixing of the spices and sugar and then patting it onto the ribs. After that, it's straight into the oven and they basically sort themselves out. Genius. And since they're wrapped in foil, the clean up is ridiculously quick. Smitten Kitchen calls these ribs sweet and smokey but I found the smoked spanish paprika definitely gave it a kick so sweet and spicy is how I think of them.

Ribs

Spices

Spice/sugar mix 

Ribs ready for spices

As with most recipes from Smitten Kitchen, this doesn't need much in terms of adaptation. The only issue I had was that my chili powder was the normal boring kind and so I played around with a mixture of chili powder and paprika. I also added some finely chopped dried peppers to the mix because my supermarket had them and I've never tested them out in a dish before. I happened to have two types of paprika in my cupboard (normal and smoked) so I went ahead and used both but one or the other would be fine. While the cooking time (6 hours) is definitely long, these ribs literally don't need anything done to them while they're in there (except for changing the temperature after 4 hours) so you can go about your day as you normally would. I bought three racks of ribs (500-600g each) and managed to get about 4 meals out of them when they were basically the only part of the meal except for a simple salad. If you were serving these with french fries and other add ons, then they might go further. Smitten Kitchen suggests you plan about a pound for each person. Finally, she also suggests increasing the salt content if you prefer a less sweet version.

Ribs with spices

Rib packets

Fresh out of the oven

Ready to eat!

Recipe by www.smittenkitchen.com

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 6 hours

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder  
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 dried ancho chili, finely chopped
5 pounds spareribs, cut into 4 slabs, rinsed and patted dry
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Kitchen foil 

Method: 

Preheat oven to 200F / 93C.

Mix the sugar, chili powder, paprika, salt, garlic powder, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, and dried chili in a small bowl. Place a slab of the spare ribs onto a piece of kitchen foil that is large enough to create a sealed packet around it (I had to use two pieces on some of them). Pat the spice/sugar mix generously onto all sides of the ribs and fold the packet tightly around them. Repeat with all the ribs and all of the spice/sugar mix. Place in the oven on a rack over a baking tray that has been lined with foil to catch any drips/make clean up easy. Bake for 4 hours and then reduce the  temperature to 175F / 79C and bake for a further 2 hours.

When the ribs have finished in the oven, open the packets carefully and pour the juices into a pot. Simmer until they have reduced and coat the back of a spoon easily. Stir in the cider vinegar and smoked paprika. Serve alongside the ribs.

Enjoy!

*Sorry for the lack of posts this week! It's been crazy busy but hopefully things will be more manageable this coming week. Also, I haven't quite figured out the best place to take food photos in my kitchen so some of them are still a bit dodgy as far as lighting/framing goes... will work on that too!*

Dwaejibulgogi

This dish is one that I've enjoyed hundreds of times at Korean restaurants but never had a clue as to how it was made (and therefore assumed it must be crazy difficult and therefore should only be enjoyed in a professional setting). However, I was pleasantly surprised not only by how easy it was but also that I already had most of the ingredients in my cupboards. The only specialist ingredient is the red pepper paste, a common ingredient in most Korean food. While it may take a bit of effort to find (Korean grocery stores will have it for sure and many Asian supermarkets may also carry it), it is definitely worth it! Plus, it will last absolutely ages and comes in conveniently sized containers (I got the smaller version). I went with the mild option because I wasn't sure how hot it might be and I think I'm going to stick with it since it gives just the right amount of heat for me. I wasn't entirely sure on the number of servings you could make out of this dish since we served it with a few 'bachan' options (side dishes traditionally served alongside main dishes in Korea) which were really filling. I think if you were to have this on its own, then maybe it would be better to double the recipe for larger groups.

Recipe inspired by: www.maangchi.com

Prep  time: 45 min  

Cook time: 20 min 

Serves: 2 - 4 

Ingredients: 

1 pound of pork belly, sliced into strips

1/4 of an onion, minced

5 cloves of garlic, minced 

1/2 inch ginger, minced 

4 spring onions, chopped

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp soy sauce 

2-3 tbsp red pepper paste 

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper 

Method: 

Slice the pork belly into 1/4 inch strips and place in a bowl ready for the marinade. Place the onion, garlic and ginger into a food processor and pulse until minced and combined, then pour over the pork belly. Add the spring onion, sugars, sesame oil, soy sauce, and red pepper paste. FInish with salt and pepper and then mix to combine, ensuring the pork belly is well covered. Refrigerate for at least half an hour. When ready to cook, lay pork on a hot grill pan and cook over a medium heat, turning evenly.