Easy Breezy Rib Preparation…

I’ve never been one to make ribs, but I couldn’t pass up this easy way to prepare them.  I completely enjoy Food Network, and I have definitely picked up on a lot of tips over the years of watching the channel.  This tip to cooking ribs has definitely soared to the top of my tips list from Bobby Flay.  I recommend you try it, but I also recommend you get creative with it.  Remember, a recipe is normally there to guide you, don’t be afraid to mix things up a bit as I say.  Make your dish, your own.

The two times I have done this method, I have used Country Style Pork Ribs.  They look almost like a bone-in steak somewhat, not the traditional baby back ribs.  He preheats his oven to 500 degrees, seals the ribs in a pan with liquid in the bottom and ribs on a roasting rack in aluminum foil, and bakes them for an hour and a half.  To finish them off, he baste them in whatever sauce he is using, and then broils them for 5 minutes approximately on each side.  Super simple and delicious!  For this recipe, I marinated my ribs in a strong Espresso, and used an Espresso Rub I picked up at A Southern Season a couple of trips back. 

Espresso Ribs

• 1 pack country-style pork ribs (my pack came with 6 large ribs. We eat one a piece at the meal, and save the rest for another meal as chopped barbeque.)
• 4 cups of strong espresso
• Rub of choice (I used a bought premade Espresso Rub.)
• Deep baking pan
• Roasting Rack (I use a cookie cooling rack.  I’ve never had an issue using these in the oven.)
• Aluminum Foil

Directions

1. Place your ribs in a gallon or larger Ziploc bag.
2. Next, prepare the 4 cups of espresso.  I just use instant espresso, and dissolved a good amount of the granules in 4 cups of water.
3. Pour the espresso into your bag and seal tightly.  Allow to marinate for 4 hours or more.  Mine marinated for about 6 hours.
4. About two hours before you’re ready to eat, and after done marinating, preheat your oven to 500 degrees. 
5. Place the roasting rack inside of the deep baking pan, or roasting pan.  Spray the pan and rack with cooking spray to prevent the meat from sticking to it.
6. Next, lay each rib on the cookie sheet and massage your choice of rub on to each side. 
7. Pour the espresso from the Ziploc bag into the bottom of the pan.
8. Lay Aluminum Foil over the pan and seal tightly around the edges.  You may need to use one or two pieces depending on how large your pan is.
9. Place in the preheated oven for 1 and a half hours.
10. Remove from the oven, and unwrap.  Be careful, the steam will escape rapidly. I usually cut the foil off by first, stabbing the middle to allow some of the steam to escape, and then, pulling the foil off in pieces.
11. Finish the ribs off under the broiler for 5 minutes approximately.  This is where you would baste them with sauce if you wanted.  Sauces that are high in sugar will burn, so watch them closely.

This method seems to leave them deliciously moist…enjoy!

I paired them with a can of whole baby potatoes…yes, I said canned.  I put the potatoes in a pot, added 1 cup of water, 2 heaping tablespoons of tub margarine, a little Sea Salt, and half of a red onion sliced.  I simmered this all together for the last 30 minutes of the ribs cooking.  They made an excellent, tasty, and easy side dish to accompany the ribs!  I also served the the ribs with a dollop of Tandoori Sauce…I love this stuff!

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