Cooking Spare Ribs
Spare ribs, also called spareribs, are basically pork or beef cuts taken from the lower portion of the ribs and breastbone. After the bacon is removed, there is flesh adhered on top of the cuts as well as between the ribs. In the food stores, you can find spare ribs with 11 - 13 long bones. When it comes to preparing spare ribs, they are first prepared by cutting into 3 - 5 inch smaller pieces and then cooked by steaming, grilling, braising or frying.
How to Cook Spare Ribs?
Sold as the most inexpensive part, spare ribs are cooked and enjoyed in different ways. While buying these long cuts, choose pink meat with whitish fats. Before cooking the ribs, prepare them by removing the thin tough membrane that lines the lower side of the spare ribs. Discussed below are some of the methods that you can cook spare ribs:
Cooking Spare Ribs in the Oven
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 pounds pork spareribs
- 2 medium-sized onion (sliced)
- cup ketchup
- cup water
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons vinegar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- teaspoon black pepper
- teaspoon red pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Considering that you have selected meaty spare ribs, remove the membrane layer and cut ribs into serving sized pieces. Or else, you can leave the spare ribs uncut. Place them into a platter and sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides. Rub with your fingers so that the spices are evenly coated over the meat cuts. Transfer the seasoned spare ribs into a roasting pan and keep aside. By this time, preheat oven at 350 F.
In a mixing bowl, combine ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, paprika, chili powder, remaining pepper and salt. Pour this mixture into the roasting pan and then, put on the lid and bake the spareribs in the oven for about 1 hours. In between, turn and baste the spare ribs occasionally. When the cooking time completes 1 hour 15 minutes, remove the lid and allow the ribs to brown well. If preferred, separate the individual oven cooked spare ribs and serve with barbecue sauce.
Cooking Spare Ribs on a Gas Grill
Ingredients
- 3 pounds spareribs
- Barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 4 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Instant-read thermometer (if available)
Rinse the spare ribs under cold running water and pat them dry. Take a small bowl and mix brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, cumin, pepper and salt. With your fingers, rub the spice mixture over the spare ribs. In a metal pan, stack the ribs one above the other. After you place all the spare ribs, cover the pan with aluminum foil. Now, start the gas grill and preheat only one element at high temperature setting. After 3 - 4 minutes, reduce the heat to medium low.
Put the metal pan with the spare ribs in the grill, opposite to the heat source. Close the gas grill and cook the meat for 45 minutes. After this, open the foil and rearrange the ribs, in such a way that the top ribs are brought to the bottom and vice versa. Continue rearranging the spare ribs after every 45 minutes for approximately 4 hours. Then, with the thermometer, you can check the inside meat temperature. If it reads 175 F, the ribs are cooked well. Remove cooked spare ribs from the grill and serve hot with your favorite sauce.
Cooking Spare Ribs in a Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork spareribs
- 1 can condensed tomato soup
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
In a stock pot, place the prepared spare ribs and pour enough water to cover the ribs. Bring it to boil and leave like that for 15 minutes. In a bowl, mix the ingredients - soup, onion, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Take out the ribs from the stock pot and transfer them into a slow cooker. Add the sauce mixture into the cooker, cover lid and cook for 6 - 8 hours, or until the ribs turn tender. Garnish with fresh herbs, and serve hot.
This was a brief information on making spare ribs. On a concluding note, never go by the name spareribs, because with simple cooking tips, you can still prepare lip-smacking recipes out of this spare meat!
