Peach Chili Pork Ribs
Pork is a staple of the Okinawan diet and where the locals get most of their fats, since greens and carbs from vegetables and rice, make up the remaining parts of their meal. Yes, seafood is super prevalent here but fish fats are usually raw. Don’t get me wrong; seafood is delicious. I will DESTROY a plate of fresh sashimi in a matter of minutes. Fish are food, not friends, to mangle the saying in “Finding Nemo.” And this from a Pisces. But I digress. We’re talking about pigs here.
For the Fourth of July, I didn’t want to make the usual American barbeque sauce to slather on these ribs. I wanted something a bit different and spicier, with a lick-your-lips-fingers-and-elbows kind of sauce. The kind sopped up with a crusty bread after and scraped up to eat with a fork. You can be a dainty eater if you want, but using my hands to eat hearkens back to caveman days. My doc DID say I am supposed to be eating Paleo after all…
I’ve been playing around with lots of spices and various kinds of peppers lately to use in my chili for the cookoff with AFN radio DJs, which is coming up later this week. So I used my chili paste as a starter. (It’s not really revealing anything to post my chili starter as I won’t post my full recipe until after the chili cookoff. No secrets spilled here!)
As you can see, this rub is thick and hearty and seals in the juices of the meat while it cooks, leaving the flesh tender. The trick to cooking these well is the slower cook. Yes, they take a bit of time, but you’ll be thankful for the patience. Unlike the rest of your household, which you may have to hold back with a pitchfork until the ribs are done, when they get a whiff of the cooking meat. 
This recipe makes about 4 cups of sauce. After you use the desired amount for your ribs, you can save the rest in a sealed container in the freezer for later. It’s also great on chicken and as a complement to other savory dishes!
- 4 lbs. pork ribs
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 1 cup red bell pepper roasted over flame, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup purple onion roughly chopped
- 1 cup chili paste See recipe
- 1 15oz. can peaches in juice (not syrup) Reserve 2 tablespoons of juice
- 3 Tbsp orange marmalade
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 8 oz can tomatoes low sodium
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Rinse ribs and pat dry, placing on a baking tray lined with foil. Allow them to come to room temperature.
- In a large food processor, chop the garlic, onion and bell pepper until a dry chunky salsa consistency forms. Combine with cup of chili paste in the processor and blend.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend until thick paste is formed. Use the reserved peach juice in the mix a teaspoon at a time for a wetter paste.
- Spread the paste thickly over ribs on both sides and place ribs bone side down.
- Tent foil over the baking tray, covering the ribs, and place in the oven.
- Cook for about 45 minutes on 450 and then turn down the heat to 275 for about two hours. Do NOT open the oven until time is up!
What's new, gnu?