The upper Midwest asks no part in the great barbecue wars, says Amy Thielen in The New Midwestern Table (Clarkson Potter). “Mind-blowing, life-changing, proper barbecue” is the province of places farther south, where the weather looks more kindly on efforts to expose beef and pork cuts to “a calibrated mixture of heat and smoke.” We do our ribs in the oven, and won’t apologize for it.
The recipe below comes from my French-Canadian great-grandmother, who ran a roadside shack in St. Paul, Minn., in the 1920s. She served only two things: fried chicken and gravy, and these ribs, stewed in a tangy, tomato-based sauce. The thin slices of lemon on top “contribute a welcome acidity” to the pork, and the rinds add “a hoppy bitterness.”
Recipe of the week:
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Barbecued spareribs with tomatoes and lemon
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1½ tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp celery seeds
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste
- 4 lbs pork spareribs or country ribs
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 3 lbs plum tomatoes, or 42 oz canned
- ¹/³ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1½ lemons, preferably Meyer, scrubbed, thinly sliced, and seeded
Preheat the oven to 325. In a skillet, toast coriander and cumin seeds over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Pour into a spice grinder or mortar, add mustard and celery seeds, and grind until fine. Add paprika and cayenne. Set aside.
Heat a large, wide-bottomed pan or roasting pan over high heat. Blot ribs dry, and season with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Add canola oil to pan. Brown ribs in batches (for optimal caramelization, give them some space), about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer ribs to a bowl. Discard fat in pan. Add onion, garlic, butter, and a pinch of salt. Cook until onion is softened, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, if using fresh tomatoes, peel and chop them. If using canned, pour them into a bowl and crush them by hand.
Add spice mixture to onion and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tsp salt. Cook until tomatoes start to soften, 10 minutes. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Submerge ribs in sauce. Partially cover with a lid or parchment paper cut to fit. Bake in oven for 2 hours.
Remove pan from oven, skim off any excess fat, and turn ribs over. Lay lemon slices on top and bake until rib meat is meltingly tender, another 1½ to 2 hours. Serves 6 to 8.
