Spare ribs? Not baby back ribs? Well, I’m partial to spare ribs because there is more fat which makes the meat beautifully moist. No reason why you can’t substitute baby back ribs if that is your preference.
Not a fan of ribs? You may choose a slab of bone-in pork belly although I would recommend that you cut off the rind. You may even go boneless although you will need to double the amount of seasonings. What I won’t recommend is substituting a lean boneless cut of meat.
Excess Cajun spice mix can be stored in a tightly covered jar at room temperature away from the sun.
Cajun Pork Spare Ribs
Fall-off-the-bone tender succulent meat, this dish of Cajun pork spare ribs makes a lovely main dish for a Sunday family dinner. Perfect for the holidays too!
Ingredients
Cajun spice mix
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cayenne powder chili powder or flakes may be substituted
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 3 teaspoons sea salt or 1 ½ teaspoons refined salt
Pork ribs
- 1 rack pork spare ribs about 2 kilograms total weight (see notes after the recipe)
- ¼ cup Cajun spice
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon lemon and pepper seasoning available at the grocery
For the glaze
- 2 heaping tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons plain mustard
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
To garnish
- sliced chilies
- chopped parsley
Instructions
- Make the Cajun spice mix by whisking together all the ingredients (see notes after the recipe).
- Wipe the rack of ribs with paper towels.
- Whisk together the Cajun spice mix, salt, tarragon, rosemary and lemon and pepper seasoning. Rub all over the ribs.
- Wrap the ribs with cling film and allow to marinate for at least two hours in the fridge (or overnight for best results).
- Preheat the oven to 300F.
- Take the ribs out of the fridge. Discard the wrapping.
- Take a large piece of aluminum foil and place it on a baking tray. Lay the ribs on the foil. Take another large piece of foil and lay over the ribs. Gather together the sides of the top and bottom sheets of foil and crimp to seal in the ribs. Make sure that there are air pockets inside the package. You want steam to build up inside to help keep the meat moist.
- Cook the ribs in a 300F oven for two hours.
- Meanwhile, whisk together in the ingredients for the glaze.
- Take the ribs out of the oven.
- Turn up the temperature of the oven to 400F.
- Carefully unwrap the ribs (be careful of the steam that will escape!) and discard the top layer of foil.
- Brush the glaze all over the ribs.
- Put the ribs back into the oven and leave for 10 minutes or until the glaze turns into a light sticky crust.
- Take the ribs out of the oven. Rest for a few minutes. Cut between the bones. Plate up, sprinkle with sliced chilies and parsley, and serve.
Notes
Updated from a recipe originally published in November 5, 2017
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