Recipe: Roasted Pork Ribs (Dry Rub)

Making my own roasted pork ribs is something that I've been wanting to try for quite awhile. When it comes to ribs, I'm not a big fan of the "sauced" version that we often get in restaurant. Perhaps it is because I do not like sweetish sauces on my meats and most restaurant ribs are glazed with something sweet. Yesterday with my church's youth ministry in recess, I finally had the time to make my own dry and savoury version of ribs.

Step 1: Preheat the oven

Preheat your oven to 150°C (300°F)

Step 2: Preparing the meat

I went to the market and purchased a 6-bone rack of ribs. I went for normal rack, but the baby back variety works just as well. My rack weighed about 1.2 kilos and cost RM24 (or RM2/kilo).

Tip: If you are using a normal rack like I am, get your butcher to remove the "spine" (the bone that all the ribs are connected to). This will make cutting the ribs up for serving much easier. I did not do that and had a horrid time breaking apart the rack once it was cooked. 

Gently wash your meat with warm water and pat it dry with a paper towel. Then set it aside while you prepare your dry rub.

Step 3: The Dry Rub

The contents of your dry rub really depends on your individual tastes. That been said this is the recipe for the dry rub I used.

1 Tbsp Sea Salt (I recommend reducing this to maybe 1/2 - 3/4 Tbsp as I found mine a little salty)
1 Tbsp Chili Flakes
1 1/2 Tbsp Black Peppercorns
1 Tbsp Sugar (Brown sugar is preferred but normal white sugar will do just fine)
1 Tbsp Dried Thyme
1 Tbsp Dried Italian Herbs
1 tsp Five Spice Powder

I then used a mortar and pestle to pound the spices together till fine. The quantity here was just about right for my rack of ribs so you may use more or less according to the size of the rack you are using.

Tip: You can always make more rub than you need.  Separate the amount you need and store the rest. The rub keeps in definitely and you can use it for chicken, beef, pork or any other meats you plan to cook in the future. That way you won't need to prepare a dry rub each time.

Step 4: Applying the Dry Rub

Place the rack of ribs on a flat area to apply the dry rub. I placed mine on a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up.

Put as much dry rub as you think you will need to cover for one side of the rack and then rub it firmly. Turn the rack over and do the same for the other side. Make sure you get the dry rub into all the nook and crannies and cover all of the exposed meat.

Step 5: Cook for One Hour

Place the ribs (bone side down) on a wire rack with a drip pan below. Make sure you have the ribs in the middle of the oven and that the oven is properly preheated.

After an hour the ribs should come out looking like the picture above.  Turn the tray and put the ribs back into the oven. We will now be checking on the ribs every 30 minutes.

Tip: You can place root vegetables and onions in the drip pan to cook along side the ribs, catching all the delicious drippings. However remember you will be cooking the ribs for 2 - 3 hours, so put in your vegetables later or they'll be all dried out by the time you are done.

Step 6: Additional Cooking Time

You will be cooking the ribs for an additional 1 - 2 hours, turning the tray every 30 minutes. (Do not turn the ribs over! Just change the direction of the tray) I cooked my ribs for only an additional 1 hour (total 2 hours cook time) but I have seen a number of recipes that ask you to cook for an additional 2 hours (total 3 hours cook time). My ribs came out fine but perhaps more cook time would make it more "fall of the bone", although I'm wary of drying out the meat.

Once done let the meat sit and rest before cutting it. I waited for about 15 minutes before I did anything with  the ribs. All that's left to do is enjoy!

Tip: If you did not place anything in the drip pan, and there are a fare amount of drippings you can turn that into a sauce by deglazing the pan.