Tamarind pork country ribs

I’m not a big meat eater, and especially in summer when fresh, local produce abounds, I prefer to focus primarily on vegetables in meal planning. 

My coop had pork country ribs, and they were fairly inexpensive and I don’t think I have ever cooked them . . .  so I was curious and took home a 1 lb package. I did some research on how to cook. I successfully cooked baby back ribs in the pressure cooker/Instant Pot and thought I would go that way. How long??? That’s the thing with the Instant Pot — there’s no gradual cooking; more like put your food into a black box and hope for the best. I prefer the stirring at the stove over a simmering pot with aromas wafting up — seeing, hearing and smelling as a dish comes together. Anyway, I figured 25 minutes pressure for 1 # of boneless pork, which turned out to be too long — next time I will boldly try 15 minutes plus 10 minutes natural release. And then they’re going to be cooked again briefly either under the broiler with the glaze, or on a charcoal grill. Here’s an Instant Pot cooking guide.

I also adore sour. It’s a flavor that perks up my taste buds as bright and unusual — particularly when it is balanced by something bright — like tamarind and lime zest creates a tantalizing chord of flavor. Now that I found some liquid tamarind concentrate — so much easier to use than the hard brick — I intend to exploit it for perhaps a barbecue sauce for chicken wings on the grill. 

Here’s the sauce/glaze:

Dark brown sugar, 1/4 c

Tamarind concentrate, 1/4 c

Sambal oelek (chile paste), 1 T

Honey, 1 T

Ginger, grated, 1 T

Nutmeg, 1/8 t

Later: lime zest from one lime

Directions:

Heat up in small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir and simmer and cook for several minutes until sauce is thick and somewhat reduced. 

Remove from heat and add lime zest and salt. Let cool. 

The sauce can be made ahead and stored for one week refrigerated. 

“Ribs” (pork “country ribs”):

Pork, 1 #

Dry rub:

Dark brown sugar, 1/4 c

Garlic powder, 1 t

Cayenne, 1/2 t

Black pepper, 1/2 t

Kosher salt, 1/2 T or more to taste

Mix up dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Rub pork on both sides with rub, and refrigerate, covered, for a couple hours. 

When ready to cook, put up some white rice. Cut up some scallions, and crush peanuts.

In instant pot, put water in bottom to slightly below trivet. Place in pork, and cook on “meat” setting for 15 minutes. Let release naturally for 10 minutes. Then remove and put onto foil-lined baking sheet. 

Put glaze on ribs and broil 3-5 minutes per side until caramelized in spots. 

Top with chopped peanuts and scallions.

Serve with: 

Rice

Thai cabbage celery salad or perhaps a cucumber salad or this Vietnamese cucumber salad

Source: NY Times Spicy Tamarind pork ribs