Two Ways to a Ribbin’ Good Time

I love ribs. I don’t eat them that often - simply because they aren’t the leanest part of the pig. But they are easily one of the most enjoyable parts to eat. And there are times when I like (and want) nothing more than to sink my teeth into some juicy, succulent ribs. Ah! The indescribable and intense pleasure that can be derived from a piece of deeply flavorful, meaty yet meltingly tender piece of pork rib!

I happen to find eating ribs to be an incredibly sensual - and sensuous - experience. It’s all tied in with the whole notion of eating foods with your fingers; foods that are moist and oozing with juices; foods that are slightly messy… and thus fun… and sexy. I really think the tactile aspect of eating is too often missing, when, really, it should be an integral part of the experience. It’s amazing how much richer, more intense and profoundly satisfying a meal can feel when eaten with our fingers.

Ever since I came up with my little char siew recipe, I’ve had this little niggling thought playing in my head. It simply refuses to go away. No matter how much I “shoo” and wave it away, it always comes back. It’s quite determined that it will not be ignored. So in the end, I have given in to it.

I am very pleasantly surprised by the very positive responses that the char siew recipe has been receiving, not only from my own family and friends, who’ve been clamoring for the dish with alarming frequency, but also from so many readers who have tried the recipe and enjoyed it tremendously. Several readers have come back to tell me about how they have cooked the char siew on a grill and how wonderful that added layer of smokiness tastes. That has been the spark that triggered that little niggling thought : I really, really want to make some char siew ribs. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. I just feel the char siew marinade will make for some wonderfully sumptuous ribs.

But I am a lazy cook. I’m not about to lug out the grill, set it up, start the fire, blah, blah, blah… So I’m thinking : ribs can be done in the oven – to equally good results, I’m sure. And so with a light-hearted, eager spring to my step, I’m in the kitchen in a jiffy, doing what I love: playing with my food! This is going to be fun!

First Attempt: Oven Roasted Char Siew Ribs

My initial instinct is to simply cook the ribs in a similar way to the char siew – that is, pop them onto a rack in a roasting pan and cook them in the oven whilst basting them periodically – but probably at a lower temperature and for a longer period of time than the char siew. I want ribs with fall-of-the-bone tenderness and yet are supremely moist and juicy.

For the marinade, I use the exact same char siew recipe, but without the food coloring, and doubled the quantity; I want enough marinade to cover the full rack of ribs.

The cleaned ribs are placed into the prepared marinade and left to macerate in the fridge for about 30 hours or so (this is arbitrary; overnight will do).

30-45 minutes before the ribs are to be cooked, they are removed from the fridge and allowed to come back to room temperature. Meanwhile, the oven is preheated to 180C.

The roasting pan is lined with foil (to make for easier clean-up later) and a rack placed in it. Onto the rack goes the ribs, after which they are given a good brushing of the marinade, tented with foil and popped into the oven.

And that is basically it. I simply come back every half hour or so to baste the ribs with more of the marinade (which I, in the meantime, pop onto the stove-top to cook through). Oh, and the temperature is reduced to about 150C after the first half hour.

The ribs smell incredible as they are cooking; the whole house fills with the glorious smell of roasting meat overlayed with the special aroma of char siew flavors.

The ribs are cooked for about 3 hours in total. And the final result? They are very good indeed, but still not 100% what I am looking for.

Even though the ribs are kept tented with the foil throughout the cooking process, they still get a little too charred for my liking (much as I love crispy, charred bits on meat) – due to the large quantity of maltose and sugar in the marinade. (See top picture).

While the ribs in the middle of the slab are gorgeously tender, moist, succulent and juicy, the meat on either end of the slab is a tad dry. Not inedibly so; but enough that I notice. And enough that I want to continue to tweak the recipe and create the ribs that my mind has pictured.

On that particular night, I served the ribs over mee sua (or mian sian) (thin white noodles), and it went down stupendously well with the family.

Everyone loved the combination of noodles with the char siew gravy poured over. And it was indeed delicious!

However, scrumptious as it was, I feel it still needs a little bit of adjustment… the gravy is just a tad too sweet, I think. Maybe I shouldn’t do a straightforward doubling of the marinade ingredients.

Another thing that I want to change: this method just seems a little too fiddly for my comfort. Sure, there isn’t any major work involved, by any stretch of the imagination; the meat just sits in the oven for 3 hours. But I have to keep coming back to baste the meat ; that is already too much fiddling for me! I want something that requires even less effort than that ; something that will pretty much cook itself, without me needing to give it a second thought. (Yes, I know, I do make high demands of my food!)

So, a week later, it is back in the kitchen, and a second attempt at my char siew ribs…

Second Attempt: Oven Braised Char Siew Ribs

This time, I adjust the marinade slightly from the original recipe. (This is again for a double portion of the sauce.)

• 11 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 9 tablespoons rice wine
• 8 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 8 generous tablespoons maltose
• 8 pieces ginger, peeled and smashed
• 8 cloves garlic, whole, peeled and smashed

Again, the ribs are left to marinate in the fridge for a good 30 hours or so.

For the cooking method, I decide to “borrow” an idea from Alton Brown. Some time ago, while aimlessly surfing around foodtv.com, I came across a recipe for baby back ribs that Alton Brown featured on his show. The method that he used intrigued me. (Sorry, I can’t for the world of me remember the exact recipe that I read, nor can I seem to find it again. I don’t even remember what style of ribs it was; I only remember thinking that the method used to cook the ribs was interesting and I made a mental note to try it out at some point.)

In practical terms, Alton’s method calls for the ribs to be oven-braised. The meat is laid inside a “pocket” of aluminium foil; sauce is poured into the “pocket”, which is then sealed, slid onto a baking sheet and put into the oven for 2½ hours. I don’t remember the exact temperature that Alton cooked the ribs at; I do recall thinking at the time that it was a surprisingly low temperature for a relatively short cooking time. No matter. I just want to use the idea of his method, and to see how well it will work with my char siew ribs.

I simplify the “foil-pocket-making” a little: I place a double layer of foil in a roasting pan, leaving generous amount of foil on all four sides. The ribs are placed onto the foil, meat side down, and the marinade* poured over it (the meat should be nearly covered by the marinade). Another sheet of foil is placed on top, and sealed on all four sides.

* After taking the meat out of the marinade, and removing the garlic and ginger pieces, I add about ½ cup of hot water to the sauce. One simple reason for this: I want plenty of gravy leftover at the end (everyone seems to want copious amounts of the stuff to pour over rice, noodles or whatever it is that they seem to love doing with the gravy. There is no worry about diluting the gravy, as all the flavors intensify anyway during the cooking process. However, if creating lots and lots of gravy is not your priority, then it is enough to simply pour the marinade over the ribs, without adding any water, so long as the ribs are at least half covered with the marinade, so as to ensure they don’t dry out as they cook – the ribs will also release some juices during the cooking.

So, into the oven goes the packet of foil-covered ribs, and they are cooked for the first 30 minutes at 180C and the subsequent 2 hours at 150C.

Once cooked, the ribs are taken out of the gravy (there are a lot of it left in the pan – just as I want), and the gravy is poured out. The ribs are returned to the roasting pan, meat side up, given a coat of the sauce and placed under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes – just to crisp up the outside and give it the requisite slightly charred, crispy bits.

The sauce is put into a pot, placed on the stove and left to simmer on the lowest flame for about 15-20 minutes or so, or until it has reduced a little to the right gravy consistency. (The sauce does not simmer quietly; but rather, it bubbles and gurgles – sometimes fairly noisily and aggressively – away to itself. Leave it be. It is happy enough doing that; simply give it a stir every few minutes or so to keep it under control.)

After the ribs come out from under the broiler, leave them to rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

And what can I say? The ribs look absolutely gorgeous! The meat is a glossy, shiny sheen of succulence, with just the right amount of slightly charred crispy bits around the edges.

The meat. Oh, the meat! Oh my! It is lip-smackingly good! It truly is. The ribs are cooked to tender perfection; fall-of-the-bone tender perfection. Indeed, one of the bones did literally fall off even as I transferred the meat from the roasting pan to the plate! It is that tender. And yet, there is still the right amount of toothsome meatiness. Just perfect. If I do say so myself.

The outside is nicely crisp, the inside meltingly soft, moist and oozing with juiciness. And this time, the flavorings are all spot on.

Wow, even I am stunned at how good the ribs are.

The difference in the tenderness and texture of the meat between this cooking method and the previous one is fairly stark. I definitely like this braising method a lot better.

I am quite satisfied and happy with the recipe as it stands. And I think this is one great party dish. It can be cooked in large batches (subject to oven size of course). Plus, it is so un-needy of attention. It’s something I can bung into the oven and pretty much forget about ; it quite happily cooks away in the background, leaving time to mingle with guests or just to sit back and relax. And of course, the final bonus: the char siew flavor is a delectable winner.

This is something I will quite happily make over and over again.

Note:
• The cooking times above are for baby backs. If using spare ribs, the cooking time will need to be lengthened accordingly.

• For those who may not want such melt-in-the-mouth, tender-textured meat (and there are a couple in my family who prefer a slightly meatier bite), the cooking time can be reduced to 2 to 2¼ hours in total – 20 to 30 minutes at 180C, and 1½ to 1¾ hours at 150C.

• Although I haven’t tried it, but I’m thinking that this will also probably work in a wok, if an oven is not easily available. That is, using a straightforward traditional braising method, without the foil wrapping. Timings may need to be adjusted slightly though. And the ribs can still be finished off under the broiler for a few minutes at the end, to give a slightly crispier outside.

Happy ribbin’!

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
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