Meal planning for Father’s Day proves easy: All the fathers in my life enjoy pork ribs immensely. Grilled low and slow with a special glaze. Done.
Often, the price of baby back ribs can be prohibitive. My local grocery store regularly sells bone-in, country-style pork ribs for less than half the price of the super-tender baby back ribs and slightly less than chewy pork spare ribs. No brainer. We’re grilling country-style ribs this year and will relish their meaty flavor and juicy texture.
When available, choose bone-in, country-style ribs—generally, the bones help to retain flavor and moisture. Despite their name, country-style ribs don’t actually come from the rib section of the pig. Rather, they are cut from the shoulder area near the loin. They resemble pork chops with some irregular shoulder bones.
Like all ribs, as well as pork shoulder, season the meat several hours or even days in advance. Then cook slowly to coax the cuts into toothsome tenderness. I like to sear the ribs first over the direct heat of the grill, then move the meat away from the heat to finish cooking by the indirect method. Remember not to add any sweet grill sauces or glazes until near the end of the cooking to prevent burning.
Speaking of glazes, our go-to 2024 summer grill glaze features tangy tamarind with agave syrup and plenty of fresh orange. Tamarind, an edible tropical fruit, is prized for its rich, piquant flavor. We first encountered tamarind in the ultra-refreshing Mexican agua fresca, featuring the chocolate-brown fruit puree dissolved in water with a little sugar and lime. Cooks throughout Asia and Mexico scrape the dark-brown pulp from their pods to use in marinades, chutneys, condiments, and candies.
Look for tamarind in several forms in Asian, Indian, and Mexican markets. Fresh pods, the color of cinnamon, require the cook to soak and scrape the pulp out of the pod and to remove the oval seeds. I prefer the convenience of bottled pure tamarind concentrate (also available online) to add this dark, tangy fruit to a curry, marinade, glaze, or drink. Check the ingredient line; if the tamarind concentrate contains sweeteners, adjust your recipe accordingly.
When tamarind is unavailable, I make a similarly dark and tangy puree using pitted prunes soaked in very hot water until soft. Drain, then puree the prunes in a small blender jar with several tablespoons of fresh lime juice. The puree should have the consistency of thin jam.
The following glaze can be made up to a week in advance. It’s great with pork and chicken and as a finishing sauce for grilled eggplant and firm tofu. Try it drizzled over cooked green beans with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Tamarind, Orange, Agave Grilled Pork Country Ribs
Makes 5 to 6 servings- 10 to 12 bone-in country-style pork ribs, each about 1 inch thick, total 6 pounds
- 1 cup mesquite or hickory wood chips
- 1 tablespoon coarse (kosher) salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 large shallots, peeled, halved (or 1/2 small red onion)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled, halved
- 6 tablespoons tamarind paste or unsweetened tamarind concentrate
- 3 tablespoons agave syrup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon refrigerated ginger puree or grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons guajillo powder, or 1 teaspoon gochugaru flakes, or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 large navel orange
- Sliced green onion, for garnish
Put country ribs in a single layer on a baking sheet. For the rub, mix salt, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice in a small dish. Use the mixture to season all sides of the ribs. Refrigerate pork, loosely covered, at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
Meanwhile, for the tamarind-orange glaze, put shallots, garlic, tamarind, agave syrup, soy sauce, ginger, and guajillo powder into a blender. Process until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan; stir in 1/2 cup water. Remove the rind from the orange with a fine grater and reserve the grated rind. Squeeze the orange juice into the saucepan. Simmer the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring often, until glaze coats a spoon, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in reserved orange rind. Cool. (Refrigerate covered for up to 1 week.)
Preheat a gas grill to medium-hot or prepare a charcoal grill and let coals burn until covered with gray ash. Turn off burners on one side of the gas grill or arrange coals at sides of charcoal grill. The idea is to have two areas for cooking; one directly over the heat and the other away from the heat.
Put the ribs directly over the heat or coals in a single layer. Cover the grill. Cook, without turning, until nicely browned, about 8 minutes. Flip chops to brown the other side, about 5 minutes. Move ribs to the cooler portion of the grill (not directly over the heat). Cover the grill. Cook, without turning, until meat is almost firm when pressed with the tip of a knife (about 150 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer), about 20 minutes.
Brush ribs with glaze and move them back over the heat source. Cover grill and cook 3 minutes. Flip ribs and glaze again. Cook another 3 minutes. Remove to a serving board.
Tamarind Agua Fresca
Makes 2 drinks- 1/4 cup unsweetened tamarind concentrate
- 3 tablespoons agave syrup
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Cold water or chilled plain sparkling water
- Ice cubes, for serving
- Lime wedges, for garnish
