My mother gave me a spread from a magazine years ago with recipes for Asian Lime Ribs and Cucumbers with Mint Vinaigrette. I tried them out one year on Father’s Day and they were a HUGE hit as all the guys were raving about them! The dipping sauce for the Asian Lime Ribs was so good we all wanted to drink it! They have become a tradition to make for Father’s Day or for a summer barbecue when my brother, John, comes to visit.
This year at our Mother’s Day gathering, my nephew Matthew…Ginny’s oldest seasoned sampler and our newest father in the family, put in the special request for “Susie’s Ribs” for this year’s Father’s Day gathering!
My husband was perfectly fine with Matthew’s request for Asian Lime Ribs because they are a favorite of his, as well! He added Johnny’s famous Barbecue Kielbasa to the menu as his special requested appetizer.
Ginny remembered that last year the ribs didn’t come out quite like they normally did and I needed to do something differently. The problem was our grill was running really low on propane and Johnny was manning the grill so that Mike didn’t have to, being Father’s day. Johnny didn’t want to be like “hey, your grill isn’t working right” as a guest in our home. Ha ha. It took like 4 times longer than typical to finish the ribs on the grill and as a result it used up all the dipping sauce. Note to self – folks really like the dipping sauce, so always make plenty!
This year, I increased the ribs by 50% to allow for leftovers…and doubled the sauce! It did not disappoint…everyone loved them! Including the boneless trimmings from the spareribs.
The article from the magazine talks about the different kinds of ribs you can use, baby back vs spareribs. I’ve made this recipe with both types with equally great success. You really can’t go wrong with whichever is your favorite cut or what your store has on hand.
The process is simple, you first make the rub, then prepare and trim membrane and excess fat from the ribs. Docking the ribs (poke with a fork a few times in between each of the bones) allows for penetration of the rub into the meat. So then you massage the rub into the ribs, cover with foil and let them rest in the refrigerator for an hour. There is no need to expose the ribs to the rub longer than an hour as the most flavor will penetrate the meat in the first hour as well as continue to add flavor during the cooking process. And yes, you could leverage the same cooking process with any rub you want, likewise adjusting the sauce to go along with the flavor profile of the rub.
After the ribs have rested with the rub for an hour, check the foil cover to make sure it is sealed tightly. Roast the ribs in the oven, covered, for approximately 2 hours at low temperature…really until the meat is pulling away from the bones. Then you finish them on the grill (approximately 15 minutes total, at least when you have enough propane in the tank, ha ha!). As you finish the ribs on the grill, baste with the dipping sauce to get some good caramelization on the finished racks of ribs.
Finally, slice the ribs and place on a platter, pour the dipping sauce into bowls, and devour!
We like to serve these with Cucumbers with Mint Vinaigrette…sort of similar to Glenn’s Sweet and Sour Cucumbers, although different. I like them both!
Asian Lime Ribs
Ingredients
For the Rub:
- 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp ground cloves
- 1 Tbsp ground coriander
For the Ribs:
- 2 racks spareribs *
For the Asian Lime Dipping Sauce:
- 3 Tbsp ginger minced
- 2 Tbsp garlic minced
- 3/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce **
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 Tbsp dark sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
For the Rub:
- Combine rub ingredients and store in a jar or air tight container
For the Ribs:
- Remove the skirt flap from the sinew side of the ribs, this can be cooked
- Cut off the breastplate and feather bones, this can be cooked
- Remove the sinewy membrane by pulling with a paper towel ***
- Trim the excess fat from the ribs
- Dock the meat in between the bones with a fork to allow extra flavor to penetrate the meat
- Place in sheet tray with a lip or a roasting pan
- Sprinkle liberally with the rub and massage into the meat on both sides
- Cover with foil and allow to rest for an hour in the refrigerator
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees
- Double check the foil to make sure ribs are covered tightly
- Roast ribs for about 2 hours, start checking them at 1 1/2 hours, you want the meat to pull away from the bone
- Coat grill rack with oil or a non-stick spray prior to turning it on so the ribs don't stick when the sugar in the sauce melts from the heat
- Preheat the grill to medium-high
- Coat the ribs with sauce and place on grill
- When they begin to develop caramelization and/or char, flip and brush again with sauce
- Repeat this process at least twice so the ribs become well glazed and nicely caramelized, it should only take 15 minutes
- Allow ribs to rest for 10 minutes
- Hold rack of ribs vertically and cut between bones, place on platter
- Serve with Cucumbers in Mint Vinaigrette and Asian Lime Dipping Sauce
For the Asian Lime Dipping Sauce:
- Stir together sauce ingredients in a medium bowl
- Brush on roasted racks of ribs prior to grilling
- Serve as dipping sauce with ribs
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