I'm a lover of baby back ribs. I thought I was a lover of only baby back ribs basted in BBQ sauce and burnished on the grill until a deep, charcoal crust formed but these ribs changed my mind. It's not to say I won't eat those well burnished "babies" but they can take a back seat for a bit because these ribs didn't require a trip to the grill or a passing under the broiler. As someone without a grill or patio, this is great news! These ribs would also make a wonderful addition to any party, indoors or out. Making ribs in the oven guarantees tenderness and it frees the grill for other goodies.
Going forward I plan to make these at all times and during all seasons. I wish I had a more perfect recipe but I made it up as I went using some refrigerator items that needed using up.
Serves 4 [1/2 rack each]
To serve 2: 1/2, 1 rack and proceed with instructions below.
1 rack = 12 ribs
Notes:
- I didn't use a recipe, so below are rough approximations of ingredients.
- To start, slice 1 each of the orange and lemon. Slice 2-3 garlic cloves. Then slice the remaining fruit and garlic cloves as/if needed.
- Really seal each packet [parchment, then foil]. You don't want the juices to seep out.
- Most recipes recommend baking ribs for 2 hours. At 3 hours they'll fall off the bone. Technically ribs falling off the bone means they're overcooked but it's how I like mine. Cook 1 3/4 hours - 2 hours for tender ribs that stick to the bone.
- Use the smaller ingredient range for 1 rack, increase if making 2 racks.
Baby Back Ribs: 1-2 racks [my ribs were pretty fatty, which made these tender and delicious]
1-2 navel oranges, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1-2 lemons, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
2-5 medium garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons - 3 teaspoons dried rosemary {use smaller amount for 1 rack} [or 1-2, 2 inch long pieces fresh rosemary, stripped of stalks so only the leaves remain/use 1, 2 inch piece for 1 rack]
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Scallions, thinly sliced [optional for garnish]
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove membrane from back of ribs. Liberally season both sides with Kosher salt, black pepper and rosemary. Lay a piece of parchment paper down that is large enough to tightly wrap the ribs. Tile orange and lemon slices the length of the ribs in the center of the parchment. Scatter some garlic. Lay the pork, meat-side down onto the fruit slices. Repeat by tiling orange, lemon and garlic on the top side of the meat. Lay the other rack, meat-side down on top of the fruit and repeat with more orange, lemon and garlic. Tightly wrap the parchment so that juices don't escape. Then lay down a piece of foil that is large enough to cover the parchment packet. Tightly close and seal the foil around the packet. Place on a baking sheet to catch any drippings [hopefully nothing drips out] and bake for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until meat is tender to your liking. Let rest for 10 minutes. *To serve, carefully open package and reserve cooking juices. Cut the rind off the citrus because it is bitter [or warn guests not to eat the rind!], scatter fruit on the platter and top with ribs. If you have remaining fruit leftover, slice that and use to garnish the platter also. Skim fat off the juices and drizzle juices over the ribs. Garnish with sliced scallions. [Garnish in picture are Wasabi Horseradish Microgreens]
*Optional: once cooked, brush ribs with cooking juices and run the ribs under the broiler to brown them. I didn't do this step.
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