Weekend Grub: Tender Oven-Barbecued Ribs

Mid-winter, when the charcoal grill is stashed away in the garage, these babies braise up beautifully in a slow oven. Slathered in homemade sauce at just the end of cooking, brings the tender, smoky flavour that we look forward to in the warmer months, inside to our kitchen.

Spice Rub

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 tablespoons smoked, sweet paprika

Big dash nutmeg

1 tablespoon onion powder (or granules)

1 tablespoon garlic powder (or granules)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 fat pinches celery salt

2 fat pinches dry thyme or herbs de Provence

Heavy dash of dry mustard

1) Mix everything together. Can be done up to a week ahead.

BBQ Sauce

1 cup ketchup

¼ cup oyster or hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon tomato paste (puree in the UK)

4 dashes Worcesterhire sauce

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2-3 tablespoons spice rub (from above)

Cayenne pepper to taste for heat (optional)

Simmer everything together until smooth and combined. Stash in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Bringing It All Together

Spice rub

BBQ sauce

4 racks baby back ribs

1) Preheat oven to 150C (300F). Spray 4 long pieces of foil with non-stick spray. Lay each rack on a piece of foil and rub with the spice rub. Close foil all around the rack. Repeat on all 4 racks.

2) Stick the racks in the oven and roast for 2 to 2 and ½ hours, until the meat is falling off the bone. They will braise in their own juices. During the last 15 minutes, slather the racks with BBQ sauce, place back into the oven and finish baking.

Cut into individual ribs to serve. Serves 4-8, depending on hunger.

Kalua Pork

I don't know where the bee came from, that flew into my bonnet, but I simply had to cook up some Hawaiian food yesterday. This makes no sense, because I have never been to Hawaii; the closest I've come is the Luau at Disney World. All I can say is that I was channeling Don Ho, or fat Elvis (in a white jump suit) and came up with this fantastic -EASY- pork dish.


I made this several years ago after finding banana leaves in a Latin food market in Switzerland. Banana leaves impart a very subtle, but distinct flavour on the pork. Everyone who tries this loves it- kids included. I can't describe the flavour- It tastes nothing of bananas, you can't put your finger on the flavour, it just tastes good.


I couldn't get my hands on banana  leaves, here in the English countryside so had to figure out an alternative- banana peels! I chose green bananas, thinking they would simulate the flavour of a green banana leaf the best. It worked-- the peels give the pork the exact same flavour as using the leaves. 
It might seem like strange recipe, but try it-- I promise you won't be sorry.


To see JennyB demonstrate this recipe, click here!

4 pounds boneless pork roast- cheap cut, with some fat, not a loin- trimmed of excess fat
1-2 tablespoons Hawaiian salt (you can find this in many larger grocery stores in the States) or chards of sea salt
1-2 teaspoons liquid smoke

Peels from 4 bananas, as green as possible
Sturdy aluminium foil

1) Pre-heat the oven to 300F (150C). Make slits all over the pork roast. Rub the salt onto the roast and into the slits. Now, do the same with the liquid smoke.

2) Cozy the banana peels around the roast and wrap tightly with aluminium foil, making all the roast is enclosed in the foil. Place into an oven-proof, lidded dish that is deep enough to hold the pork (if you don't have a lid just roll some more foil around the roast and place into a baking dish that fits it snugly). Pour enough water into the dish to come 2 inches up the side of the roast, place the lid on and roast for 3 hours.

3) Remove the pork form the foil, discard the banana peel and shred the meat.

Serves 6-8. Serve with broccoli-almond rice and fresh pineapple.