Tangerine Sticky Ribs
By Valerie Aikman-Smith & Victoria Pearson
Except for the time in the oven, everything for this quick-and-easy recipe happens in a blender. And don’t miss the freshly chopped tangerine peel garnish to zest things up. These ribs are so finger-lickin’ good that they enticed Victoria to eat meat again!
Recipe from Citrus by Valerie Aikman-Smith and Victoria Pearson. Order your copy here.
Tangerine Sticky Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 rack baby back pork ribs, about 3 pounds
- 4 to 6 star anise pods
Marinade
- Peels from 2 tangerines, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup orange blossom honey
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
- 1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1 (2-inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
- 2 tablespoons chopped tangerine peel, for garnish
Instructions
Rinse the ribs under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the ribs in a baking dish, sprinkle with the star anise, and set aside.
To make the marinade, in a blender, combine all of the ingredients and process until the mixture is fairly smooth. Pour over the ribs, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Place the covered dish in the oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours.
Remove the ribs from the oven. Remove the foil and set aside. Baste the ribs with the sauce and return to the oven, uncovered. Cook for another 30 minutes.
Remove the ribs from the oven and tent with the reserved foil. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Transfer the rack to a cutting board and cut between the bones. Serve with a sprinkle of tangerine peel.
Reprinted with permission from Citrus, by Valerie Aikman-Smith and Victoria Pearson, copyright © 2015, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Photographs copyright © 2015 by Victoria Pearson.
