A Hungry Bear

Our neighborhood Whole Foods carries a small selection of local pork. If they don’t have a certain cut of meat, I’ll find a way to adapt a pork recipe that I want to try. But recently, I had the opposite experience, going to WF and seeing a cut of meat I knew I just had to cook: spare ribs. I have heard that spare ribs are tougher and thicker than baby back ribs (a quick google search confirmed that here), but to someone who likes to cook, finding a way to make spare ribs tender and juicy is a fun challenge.

I found a great recipe on Food & Wine’s website that ended up working perfectly with the spare ribs I brought home that day. This was probably the simplest of any type of rib recipe I’ve made too - only a few minutes of hands-on time. You could definitely make this with baby back ribs if you can’t find (or don’t want to try) spare ribs.

Ingredients: 3 pounds pork spare ribs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1.5 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage, 1 teaspoon minced thyme, 1 tablespoonsdried fennel seeds, 1 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper, 1 teaspoons paprika, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar.

Ideally the night before, or at least 2 hours before you start to cook them, you’ll want to make the dry rub to press into the ribs. Mix all the spices and salt in a small bowl.

Stir in the olive oil and make a paste (add a little more olive oil if you need to get everything to stick together).

Press the rub into all sides of the ribs, coating them evenly. Place the ribs in a shallow pan and cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate. An hour before it’s time to cook them, bring the ribs back out on the counter so they’ll come to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the ribs in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet, with the meaty side facing up. Roast for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, the fat will have melted away from the meat, so the meat shrinks and the bones become exposed. Also, note that your kitchen is going to smell ridiculously good, so plan ahead and have a snack ready!

Turn the broiler on, and brush the tops of the ribs with balsamic vinegar.

Broil the ribs, about 6 inches from the flame, for a couple of minutes. The balsamic vinegar will caramelize and the herbs take on a nice crunch. Allow the ribs to rest when you remove them from the oven for about 5 minutes before serving.