Spareribs: sticky, saucy and scrumptious

I’ve addressed pork spareribs in the past, but wanted to give them a bit more focus. I’ve heard them calling my name from the freezer, so it was time to let them out.

The ones I have were cut halfway through the rib bones, giving me long but thinner strips of spareribs. The ones in the megamart might be the full set. Unless you own a hacksaw or a bandsaw, you’ll have to leave the bones alone, though I suppose you could use a sawzall, which I’ve done when breaking down larger pieces of meat, but that’s another story. Anyway, I then took my knife and cut the rib strips down into serving-sized pieces, as seen in the photo.

Beef ribs always benefit from pre-cooking before putting on a grill or broiling as they are quite thick and would have a tendency to burn before the meat gets fully cooked. I took the same avenue with the pork, except I placed the ribs in a large saucepan and then covered them with my favorite barbecue sauce. I brought the sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat, rearranging the ribs from time to time to allow for even cooking. The time is hard to say, as my ribs were rather on the small side even though I cooked three full slabs’ worth. The point where the pan begins to bubble is a good indicator that everything is coming to temperature. I suppose you could pre-cook them in a crock pot, assuming the pieces would fit. Timing would be harder to judge, though I’m sure they’d be done when you got in from a shift at the salt mines.

While the ribs are pre-cooking, consider how you are going to finish them off. On the grill outside? In a broiler pan in the oven? I chose the broiler approach. My broiler has eight passes of the heating element across the top of the oven, so it can crank out some serious heat on the high setting. I placed my oven rack on the second-highest setting, as putting it on the top setting would have parts of my ribs within an inch of the element.

How done do you want them? Some sort of browning is better than just serving them from the pre-cooking liquid. I let mine get reasonably crispy on the edges before pulling from the heat. I then gave them a quick dip in the simmered barbecue sauce before serving.

BARBECUED SPARERIBS

1 rack of spareribs, cut into 2-3 pieces

Seasoned salt to taste

Favorite barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Golden Barbecue and Wing Sauce)

Place ribs in a large saucepan or pot. Sprinkle with salt and let stand for 10 minutes. Barely cover with barbecue sauce and turn heat on to medium-low. Bring to a simmer and hold for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice during that time to help ensure even cooking. Preheat grill or broiler on high heat. Remove ribs to a plate or broiling pan. Transfer to a grill or place in broiler until desired doneness is achieved. Remove and dip back into simmering sauce to recoat ribs before serving.

SPICY BARBECUED SPARERIBS

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup barbecue sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup rum

1/2 cup chili sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 dash white pepper

1 rack of spareribs, cut into 2-3 pieces

In a pot combine all ingredients except the pork. Stir well. Place over medium-low heat and place in ribs. Bring to a simmer and hold for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice during that time to help ensure even cooking. Preheat grill or broiler on high heat. Remove ribs to a plate or broiling pan. Transfer to a grill or place in broiler until desired doneness is achieved. Remove and dip back into simmering sauce to recoat ribs before serving.

CARIBBEAN SPARERIBS

1/2 cup mango chutney, chopped

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 cup water

2 teaspoons Tabasco

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves

1 rack of spareribs, cut into 2-3 pieces

In a pot combine all ingredients except the pork. Stir well. Place over medium-low heat and place in ribs. Bring to a simmer and hold for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice during that time to help ensure even cooking. Preheat grill or broiler on high heat. Remove ribs to a plate or broiling pan. Transfer to a grill or place in broiler until desired doneness is achieved. Remove and dip back into simmering sauce to recoat ribs before serving.

SAVORY SPARERIBS

2 cups water

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 rack of spareribs, cut into 2-3 pieces

In a pot combine all ingredients except the pork. Stir well. Place over medium-low heat and place in ribs. Bring to a simmer and hold for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice during that time to help ensure even cooking. Preheat grill or broiler on high heat. Remove ribs to a plate or broiling pan. Transfer to a grill or place in broiler until desired doneness is achieved. Remove and dip back into simmering sauce to recoat ribs before serving.