Recipe - Spanish Style Spareribs

I'm pretty sure I picked up my "sucker for sales" tendency from my mom so I couldn't help it one day when we saw pork spareribs going for a steal of a price. Volume happened to be the only factor to brace against but luckily, when you make ribs well, they go fast. Since we have not a grill nor did I want to roast for hours, I tried out this other method I had read about which just involves covering the ribs with liquid and spices and boiling all of the moisture away. It can still take a long time depending on your equipment but it is certainly worth it for these spareribs. I went for a Spanish style this time because Duc was craving it. Paired with a serving of saffron rice, these Spanish-style pork spareribs were fantastic, and I hope you'll give this recipe a try yourself. Enjoy!

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 6-8 servings)

• 3 - 3.5 lb pork spareribs
• 1/2 yellow onion, chunked
• 1/2 garlic bulb, peeled and separated into cloves
• 1 tbsp whole peppercorn
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
• 3-4 dried red chili peppers
• 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
• chicken broth + water, varying

Step 2: Prepping the ingredients
This is going to sound so easy that it's dumb. In a large pot or deep pan, place all ingredients except for the liquid. For that, you'll want to add just enough to cover the meat barely at a 1:1 ratio of broth and water. Bring that to a boil. Once boiled, bring heat down to a simmer.


Step 3: Finishing
You'll want it all without a cover on. Let simmer 2-3 hours (depending on the size of your cooking vessel) until the liquid has evaporated. Everything will also have softened by then so feel free to smear the onions and garlic on the meat. Let cool before serving! They will be so tender, you'll wonder why you hadn't done ribs like this before.


Photography by Duc Duong.