Food & Wine USA - (12)December 2020

46 DECEMBER 2020

HANDBOOK

Trimming the meat away

from one end of each rib

lets the meat pull away

during cooking, creating

handles that make for

mess-free nibbling.

Spiced Sweet-and-Sour Ribs

ACTIVE 45 MIN; TOTAL 3 HR; SERVES 10

Rubbed with toasted ground spices then

lacquered with a sweet and tangy glaze of

maple syrup and a duo of vinegars, these

meaty ribs have a deep flavor and an irre-

sistibly crackly crust. To work ahead, you

can roast the ribs the day before then glaze

and broil them just before serving.

2 slabs baby back ribs (about

21 / 2 lb. each)

1 tsp. caraway seeds

1 tsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 / 8 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

Black pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp. canola oil

1 / 2 cup minced red onion

1 / 2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 / 4 cup bottled balsamic reduction

(such as Alessi)

1 / 4 cup pure maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 300°F with rack posi-
   tioned 8 inches from heat source. Using
   a paper towel, pull membrane off back of
   ribs, and discard. Using a boning knife or
   paring knife, trim^1 / 2 inch of meat from
   the thin ends of the ribs to reveal the
   bones; scrape the exposed bones clean.


2. Cook caraway, coriander, fennel, and
   cumin in a small skillet over medium,
   stirring and swirling skillet often, until
   toasted and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
   Transfer mixture to a spice grinder. Let
   cool about 5 minutes. Process until
   ground into a coarse powder, about 30
   seconds.


3. Sprinkle ribs generously with salt and
   pepper to taste; rub ribs all over with
   ground spice mixture. Place ribs, meaty
   side up, on a broiler-safe wire rack set
   inside a large rimmed baking sheet.
   Roast in preheated oven until tender but
   not falling apart, about 2 hours and 15
   minutes.


4. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium
   saucepan over medium. Add onion and

(^1) / 8 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasion-
ally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add
vinegar, balsamic reduction, and maple
syrup. Bring to a simmer over medium-
high; simmer, stirring occasionally, until
thickened and reduced to about^2 / 3 cup,
5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. Remove ribs from oven, and heat
   broiler to high. Flip ribs meaty side down.
   Brush ribs with some of the onion glaze.
   Return to oven, and broil, watching care-
   fully, until browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
   Remove from oven; flip ribs, and brush
   top with some of the glaze. Return to
   oven; broil until browned on other side, 1
   to 2 minutes. Remove from oven; flip
   ribs, and brush with remaining glaze.
   Continue broiling until ribs look sticky
   and shiny, 1 to 2 minutes.


6. Transfer ribs to a carving board; let
   rest 5 minutes. Cut ribs between bones
   to separate, and mound ribs on a serving
   platter.
   BEER Malty amber ale: Left Hand
   Brewing Sawtooth