One of the best things about when I was a Stay at Home Wife
(albeit temporarily!!), is that I had time for slow cooking. One of the
worst things about staying home whilst things are slow cooking, is that you are
tortured by the smells all day! By the time Lance got home and these ribs were
sticky and done, I was FAMISHED.
I found a bottle of cherry juice at the Nanna Shop and
decided I needed to make cherry pork ribs. Pork and cherries are a great combination! The basic idea is from Alejandra’s
Pomegranate Ribs – still my number 1 rib recipe. Make a rub, braise the ribs in
fruit juice, reduce until sticky, enjoy. The rub spices and fruit juice have just changed! There’s very little hands-on time and
the end result is definitely worth the wait (and torture!). So chuck some of
these on if you are going to be home doing the housework and enjoy a fabulous
dinner to reward your efforts!
If it's just Lance and I, I almost always just cook pork rib tips instead of full racks because my butcher sells them so much cheaper. It just doesn't look quite as impressive. If you are making them for more than the family, maybe go for full racks.
Cherry Pork Ribs
serves 4
2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 ½ tsp ginger
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sumac
3 tsp salt
8 pork rib tips (or around 4 racks)
3 cups cherry juice (750mL)
½ cup whisky
1 tbsp oyster sauce
Combine all the rub ingredients, then rub generously over
the ribs, place in a large oven-proof container with a lid (such as a tagine or
crockpot), cover and set aside for an hour to marinade. They can overlap a
little.
Preheat the oven to 125C
Remove the ribs from the tagine or oven dish and add the
cherry juice, whisky and oyster sauce. Bring to a boil. Stir until the oyster
sauce has dissolved, then add the ribs. Spoon the sauce over the ribs to coat
before placing the lid on and sliding into the oven for 3 hours or until the
ribs are tender.
When they’re done, turn the oven off, remove the ribs from
the tagine and pop on a plate in the oven to keep warm. Bring the sauce to a
simmer with the lid off and reduce until sticky, around 15 minutes. Place the ribs
back into the sauce, serve with greens and plenty of extra sauce.
