FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Food

Back-Alley Ribs Recipe

These sticky pork ribs that are first boiled, then finished on a barbecue and smothered with a traditional molasses-based sauce.
Back-Alley Ribs Recipe

"Remember: ribs are about love, so don't share these ribs with people you don't respect."

Servings: 6 to 8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours

Ingredients

for the ribs:
10 pounds|4536 grams pork side ribs
kosher salt, to taste

for the pomegranate molasses barbecue sauce:
2 onions
5 jalapeños
4 garlic cloves
1 knob of ginger
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons mace
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons ground coriander
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
3 tablespoons Korean chile flakes
10 pomegranates
4 tablespoons molasses
4 tablespoons maple syrup
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups|475 ml water

Advertisement

for the dukkah:
white sesame seeds
black sesame seeds
pistachios
fennel seed
sunflower seeds
pumpkin seeds

for serving:
limes
pomegranates
cilantro
parsley

Directions

  1. To cook the ribs, place ribs in a pot with cold, heavily salted water (make it taste like the ocean) and cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let simmer. Skim the scum from the top. Cook until tender, about an hour and half.
  2. To make the pomegranate molasses barbecue sauce, heat the canola oil in a saucepan over medium. Chop onions, garlic, jalapeño, and ginger and cook in the oil until golden brown. Add the cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, mace, ground clove, ground coriander, smoked paprika, and Korean chili flakes. Add all of the seeds and juice from the pomegranates, then add the molasses, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour. When cool, blend in a blender until smooth.
  3. For the dukkah, take all the seeds and place in a blender. Blitz on pulse until crumbly. Place in a bowl and set aside.
  4. Chop the parsley and cilantro and place in a bowl.
  5. Heat your grill up really, really hot! Place ribs on grill and start basting with the barbecue sauce. You are gonna have to move quick here, so don't crowd the grill. Glaze ribs, flip ribs, glaze ribs, flip ribs, until nice and sticky and charred. Repeat until all ribs are cooked.
  6. Place ribs on a nice cutting board and give them a final glaze of the barbecue sauce. Then sprinkle with the fresh-cut herbs and the dukkah. Slice the ribs into individual ribs for your guests. Add some lime wedges for a fresh hit of acid, squeeze some pomegranate juice and seeds on them, and you're done. World peace!

From How-To: Make Back-Alley Ribs with Matty Matheson

Get recipes like this and more in the Munchies Recipes newsletter. Sign up here.