For a long time, I thought if I wanted to eat ribs, I needed to go to a barbecue place – or Houston’s, where they are delicious. If I wanted to make them at home, I would need a barbecue, or a smoker, or forty-five ingredients to make a sauce. Turns out, not so.
All it take is five ingredients, including the ribs, and an oven.
A few years ago, I was reading Elizabeth Bard’s first book Lunch in Paris, and ever since then I have been riffing on what I came to call Bistro Ribs. These ribs are cooked in the oven until fork tender. No muss, no fuss. NYC kitchen simple.
I came to rhubarb later in life, thanks to Mr. English. I very often make him a simple compote of rhubarb and honey which he spoons over Greek yogurt, but I am always intrigued by the savory applications I come across. The sweet tang of rhubarb and honey reminds me very much of sticky, finger-licking barbecue sauce, and so I tried it here on ribs, perfumed with rosemary and punched up with roasted garlic. It is so good.
To start, buy the best baby back ribs you can. I like baby back for the leanness of the meat. Salt and pepper these, and lay some fresh rosemary stems underneath. Before tucking the ribs under foil for two hours in a low oven, place a whole small head of garlic on the baking sheet along with the meat. The rosemary will steam subtle woodsiness into the meat, and the garlic will roast low and slow into that sweet garlic suede that will melt into the rhubarb sauce.
Meanwhile, the rhubarb is blipping smilingly on the stove with some water and honey and rosemary and salt, until it forms a grinning pink paste that gets shellacked onto the ribs for their last few minutes in a blasting hot oven. The ribs come out fork-tender, charred in places, sticky, tangy, herby, and lovely.
I like these ribs for a safer at home July Fourth. You don’t need to go to a restaurant. You don’t need a barbecue (not code for many of us New Yorkers!). And not typical. Easy, but unexpected. I hope you love them!
Sticky-Icky Ribs with Rhubarb, Rosemary, and Roasted Garlic
serves 2 – 4
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds baby back ribs
4 stalks fresh rosemary, plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 small head of garlic
3 stalks of fresh rhubarb (between ¾ pound and 1 pound), chopped
1/3 cup honey
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by lining it with foil (easy cleanup), and then a piece of parchment (easy rib removal). Season the ribs on both sides with salt and pepper, and place them on the prepared baking sheet, meat side up. Tuck the whole stalks of fresh rosemary underneath the ribs, like little mattresses. Cut the top quarter horizontally off the whole head of garlic and place it on the baking tray. Using two sheets of foil, cover and seal the whole baking sheet: ribs, rosemary, garlic, and all. Roast for 2 hours, undisturbed.
Meanwhile, make the rhubarb honey glaze. Add the rhubarb, 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary, and ½ cup water to a medium sauce pot. Simmer over medium to medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the rhubarb begins to break down. Add the honey and season with salt and pepper. Simmer an additional 15 minutes, until thick and soft. Set aside.
Once the ribs have had their two hours in the oven, take them out. Turn the oven up to 500 degrees F. Peel the foil carefully off the ribs (steam!) and discard. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the rhubarb sauce and stir to combine. Then shellac the sauce evenly over the tops of the ribs. Place back in the oven for 15 – 30 minutes, until the sauce is deeply caramelized and blackened in some spots. Slice the racks into individual ribs, pile into a tempting stack, and tear some fresh rosemary over the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and try to resist.
