Slow Roasted Tuscan Pork Ribs
Ribs are something that can be prepared in hundreds of different ways, and depending on where in the United States you are, conversation about ribs can get pretty sticky. Carolina, St. Louis, Kansas City, Texas and many other BBQ hotspots are so adamant about how ribs “should” be prepared and served, that the pit masters could argue more than a Red Sox and Yankee fan.
For the most part, American ribs are all smoked for a long period of time (which is a sign of authentic Barbecue)… but the question is, what type of wood chips should be used. Should you use a dry rub or a wet marinade? Wet sauce or no sauce at all? Vinegar based sauce or mustard based? Sweet sauce or spicy sauce? The variables are endless. I took the authentic Barbecue out of the equation because I don’t have a smoker and I wanted to create something a little bit different.
What American Q Masters don’t realize is that other countries cook just as much pork ribs as they do, but in different ways. Sweet and sticky pork ribs are a staple in Chinese cuisine, and the Italians would NEVER discard any part of a pig let alone mask the natural pork flavor by smoking it.
The only real requirement for cooking pork ribs is that they must be cooked slowly over low heat in order to achieve that ‘fall off the bone” tenderness. I had nothing to do on Sunday afternoon, so I picked up a few racks and got started on a dry rub for my slow roasted, Tuscan style pork ribs.
I snipped a bushel of fresh sage and rosemary from my new herb garden that was overflowing on my deck. The bright green leaves were healthy and extremely aromatic. I chopped up the fresh herbs and added some whole fennel seeds, salt, freshly cracked black pepper, dried chili flakes, coriander, brown sugar, and tons of freshly minced garlic.
After coating the racks with extra virgin olive oil I gave them a thorough rub down with the seasoning I created and tossed them into the fridge to marinate. After about two hours, I took them out and brought them to room temperature.
Slow and low is the phrase that describes how these slabs of pork cook, because right off the bat, the meat is too tough to even chew. The low, steady temperature and hours of cooking time slowly breaks down the fibrous meat and leaves you with pork that melts in your mouth. I set my oven to 220 degrees, threw the racks in and forgot about them for five hours (well… it was was hard to completely forget about them with the smell of roasting garlic, fresh herbs, and dripping pork fat permeating the kitchen)!
In the meantime, I multi-tasked prepping my side dishes and flipping back and forth between the Celtics and Red Sox. I fired up the grill and tossed a bowl full of red and yellow bell peppers onto the smoking grates.
I let the peppers char on all sides before returning them to the bowl and covering them with plastic wrap. Don’t worry if they look burnt… they are burnt, but when you carefully peel away the skin, you’re left with a juicy, tender, filet of roasted pepper. Make sure you cover the charred peppers right away so that they steam in the bowl to finish cooking and to let some of the smoky goodness seep into the flesh of the veggie. I sliced them into thin strips and tossed them with some extra virgin olive oil and a squirt of honey. I made a split second decision before the ribs went in, and realized that I should probably cook the potatoes first because no one wants to eat potatoes that were roasted at 220 degrees.
A Tuscan feast wouldn’t be a Tuscan feast without a nice bottle of red wine from the heart of Italy. The 2006 Gaja Ca’ Marcanda Promis is a “Super Tuscan”, which began as a marketing term but loosely refers to all Tuscan wines that blend their classic Sangiovese with other grapes such as Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah.
This wine is made by Angelo Gaja, a pioneer winemaker who is famous for his wines from Piedmont, but somewhat recently bought land in Tuscany to grow some different grapes. He made the Promis by blending 55% Merlot, 35% Syrah, and 10% Sangiovese. The elegant, and sexy Merlot blended with the Old World style Sangiovese is a great match, especially with a hefty chunk of Syrah to enhance the wine’s backbone. The wine is bright red, and full bodied with flavors of cherries, raspberries, leather, and grilled herbs (a classic Tuscan characteristic and perfect with the ribs). I opened it an hour before serving to let it breath and allow the flavors to develop. When the ribs came out of the oven, I sliced them in between the bones and scattered them in a pan.
They were delicious but needed something else. I decided to fire them under the broiler in a puddle of aged Sherry vinegar. The open flames crisped the outside of the ribs and the vinegar sizzled away. After a few minutes, they were perfect. The rich vinegar gave the savory ribs that extra pop of acidity and tang that they needed. Served atop a mound of roasted potatoes and shallots, and next to a pile of sweet,roasted peppers, these Tuscan style ribs were amazing. The meat was hanging off of the bones, and seemed to dissolve on your tongue. Flavors of the rich herbs, with the nutty fennel, sweet brown sugar, and spicy chili flakes made my lips tingle. After rifling through about a rack and half, I took a sip of the Super Tuscan. It seemed quite strange drinking such an elegant wine while holding my Riedel stemware in a hand covered in pork juice. I still went through about a roll of paper towels and needed a shower after dinner, but it was totally worth it.
