Succulent ribs from the oven
Bake low for many hours until they’re fall-off-the-bone juicy and tender
Oven-roasted pork ribs won’t boast the trademark smokiness produced by grilling, but otherwise they’ll be as tender, succulent and finger-licking good as ever.
The key to making great baked ribs is to season them with a rub, paste or marinade containing salt, then bake them at a low temperature for many hours or until they become tender.
The salted mixture acts as a brine, which helps keep the pork juicy and infuses it with flavour. Cooking slow and low makes the meat tender.
The marinade used here is a jerk paste, a spicy Jamaican flavouring that Jamaicans typically apply to pork and chicken, but which can be found glorifying everything from beef and lamb to fish and seafood to vegetables and tofu. Jerk is based on three key ingredients: Scotch Bonnet chilies, allspice (a dried berry native to Jamaica) and thyme.
OVEN-BAKED JERK SPARERIBS
Serves: 8
1/2 cup (125 mL) coarsely chopped onion
1 cup (250 mL) coarsely chopped scallions (white and green part)
1 to 3 Scotch bonnet chilies, or to taste
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup (60 mL) fresh lime juice,
divided
1/2 cup (125 mL) vegetable oil
1/4 cup (60 mL) soy sauce ( lowsodium if you prefer)
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh thyme
leaves
3 tbsp (45 mL) packed dark
brown sugar, divided
2 tsp (10 mL) kosher salt
2 tsp (10 mL) ground allspice 1/4 tsp (60 mL) ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp (60 mL) ground cinnamon
5 to 6 lb (2.3-2.7 kg) pork spareribs (preferably St. Louis style)
1. In a blender combine the onion, scallions, chilies, garlic, 2 1/2 tablespoons (37.5 mL) of the lime juice, oil, soy sauce, thyme, 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of the brown sugar, salt, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon and purée until smooth. Set aside 1/4 cup (60 mL) for the glaze.
2. Pull off and discard the silver skin from the bone side of the ribs and cut them into 6- to 8-rib lengths.
3. Coat both sides of the ribs with the puréed marinade and put them in a shallow container. Cover and chill 16 hours, turning occasionally.
4. Preheat the oven to 275 F (135 C). Remove the ribs from the marinade allowing the excess to drip off. Discard the excess marinade.
5. Arrange the ribs, meat side up, on two racks set into each of two baking pans.
6. Put the pans on the middle shelves of the oven and bake, switching the pans midway through the cooking time, until the meat is very tender when stuck with a fork, 4 to 4 1/2 hours.
7. While the ribs are baking, in a small bowl combine the reserved jerk paste with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons (22.5 mL) lime juice (30 mL) and the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 mL) brown sugar.
8. Remove the ribs from the oven when they are tender and brush the tops evenly with the glaze. Return the ribs to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.