Pork spare ribs are slow-cooked in a sauce made with beer and tomato paste. The braising liquid, which is full of pork flavor, is strained through a colander before being thickened to make a gravy. The sauce is a little thick, so it can be served with mashed potatoes, pasta, or over cooked rice. The combination of the tender braised pork and the thick sauce is exquisite. If you are a little more careful when making the sauce, it makes a very elegant main dish.

How To Cook Braised Pork Ribs

Sprinkle the spare ribs with salt and spices and let them roast at room temperature for about 30 minutes. The spices used are salt, black pepper, fennel, cilantro, and paprika. Coriander and fennel are common spices for pork, and are also often used to make sausage. If using granulated spices, grind them in a mill before use. Letting the spareribs come to room temperature for a bit helps them cook more easily and prevents them from burning in the pan when baked.

Prepare the vegetables to be cooked together. Thinly slice the onion. Cut the garlic into fine, fine slices.

Place vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot enough, add the spare ribs and lightly brown the surface.

When the surface is fully browned, drain off the oil lightly and remove from the pan.

In the same pan, sauté the onions.

Once the onions have softened, add the garlic.

Pour in the beer and bring to a boil to evaporate the alcohol. Use a wooden spoon to clean the bottom of the pot and mix it with the peel.

Return the spare ribs, which have been removed, to the pot.

Add water, green onions, bay leaves, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. It is best to mix the water, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce lightly in a small bowl before adding them to the pot, so that the flavors will blend easily.

Cover and simmer over low heat until pork is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. During the cooking process, turn the pork upside down to allow the cooking liquid to soak into the meat.

If the pork comes off the bone easily, it is ready.

Transfer pork to a serving bowl.

Make gravy from the cooking liquid. Strain the cooking liquid through a colander. Remove as much of the excess fat as possible from the surface.

In a small saucepan, combine the water and cornstarch and mix well.

Add the colander strainer and the cooking liquid. Place over low heat, stirring occasionally. When thickened, it is ready to serve.

Drizzle the spare ribs with gravy and sprinkle with finely chopped green onions, Italian parsley, or other herbs of your choice.

Serve with pasta, mashed potatoes, or cooked rice, if desired.

Braised Pork Ribs

Preparation time : 15 min.
Heating time : 2-3 hours on gas stove top
Difficulty : ★★☆☆☆☆

• Pork spare ribs ——————— 700 g
• Salt ——————————— 1 teaspoon
• Black pepper ———————– ½ teaspoon
• Fennel (grains) ——————— 2 teaspoons
• Coriander (powder) —————- 2 teaspoons
• Paprika —————————– 1 teaspoon
• Onion (medium) ——————- 1 piece
• Garlic ——————————- 2 cloves
• Vegetable oil ———————– 1 tablespoon
• Tomato paste ———————– 60 g
• Worcester sauce ——————– 1 tablespoon
• Laurel Leaves ———————– 1 piece
• Green onion ———————— As appropriate
• Beer or cooking wine ————– 180 ml
• Water ——————————- 180 ml

Gravy Sauce
• Corn starch —————————– 1 teaspoon
• Water ———————————– 1 tablespoon
• Finely chopped Italian parsley or green onion — as needed

Steps

1. Sprinkle the spare ribs with salt, black pepper, fennel, coriander, and paprika, and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
2. Thinly slice the onion and finely chop the garlic.
3. Pour vegetable oil into a heavy-based frying pan and heat. When the frying pan is hot, add the pork from step 1 and brown the pork evenly on the surface. Once both sides of the pork are browned, drain the oil, remove from the pan, and transfer to another container.
4. Add the onions to the pan where you grilled the spare ribs and fry until softened. When the onions become soft, add the garlic.
5. Pour in the beer and bring to a boil to evaporate the alcohol. Mix the bottom of the pan well, making sure to remove any burnt bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
6. Return the spare ribs to the pot. Add the water, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, green onion, and bay leaf, and stir everything gently.
7. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about an hour and a half until the pork is tender. Check on the meat halfway through cooking and turn the pork upside down so that it is evenly coated with the broth.
8. When the pork becomes soft, remove it from the pot.
9. Make the sauce. Strain the broth through a strainer to remove as much fat as possible that has floated to the surface. Combine cornstarch and water in a small saucepan and stir gently. Add the broth filtered through a bamboo basket and turn the heat to low. Stir until thickened and heat through.
10. Place the spare ribs in a bowl and pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle with finely chopped herbs.