City Ribs

Almost everyone loves to eat barbecued ribs, but if you live in the
city, you very likely have no place to cook out-of-doors. This recipe
can be made on a grill, but is really designed to be cooked indoors,
started on the cooktop and finished in the oven, using a ridged grill
pan and heavy-duty aluminum foil. This recipe serves 2 to 4 people,
depending upon how much meat you have. I prefer “country-style” ribs
because they are meatier, but you can use baby back ribs if you
prefer. The marinade recipe was a gift from my friend Chemayne
Valdez…. I turned it into a sauce!

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound country-style pork ribs per person
marinade (see below)
2 tablespoons extra-thick tomato paste (imported from Italy, it comes
in a tube)
1/2 cup red table wine

Marinade:

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup low-sodium tamari sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons top-quality Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Preparation:

Blend marinade ingredients together in a bowl or large measuring cup.

Cut the ribs into serving-sized pieces and place in a large zip-lock
freezer bag. Pour the marinade over the meat and zip the bag. Allow
the meat to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or as
long as overnight.

Remove the meat from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you are
ready to start cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
Carefully remove the meat from the zip lock bag, reserving all the
marinade in the bag. Dry the ribs on paper towels.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour the remaining marinade from the
bag into a small saucepan. Over low heat, bring the marinade to a
boil. In a small bowl, blend the tomato paste and wine. Add this
mixture to the boiling marinade. Allow the mixture to simmer until
reduced and fairly thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper to
taste.

Spray the grill pan well with vegetable oil. (I use a Misto.) Place
the grill pan on a burner and have a large piece of heavy-duty
aluminum foil ready.

Season the ribs well with salt and pepper and place them in the hot
pan, “pretty side” down. Cook until nicely browned. Turn the ribs over
and spoon some of the sauce liberally on the ribs. Cover the pan with
the foil, shiny side in, and place in the preheated oven for 20
minutes.

Using a mitten on the pan handle, remove the pan from the oven, and
turn the ribs over. Add more sauce. Cover again and bake for 20
minutes more. Remove from oven and allow ribs to rest for 5 to 10
minutes before serving. BE CAREFUL! That handle is HOT!

Wine Tip: Zinfandel, that robust red American grape, is the wine I
think goes really well with ribs.