Polynesian-style spareribs are my second or third favorite preparation of spareribs. As I described when I wrote 7-16: Orange-Glazed Spareribs, my grandmother’s recipe for Barbecue Spareribs still can’t be beat. However, these ginger and pineapple glazed ribs are more than acceptable. My dish came out of the oven tender and delicious, and maybe a little burnt from cooking too close to the broiler.
This meal is indeed, delectable, as described by the editors of Simply Delicious. I served this dish at a time of the year when corn-on-the-cob was not in season so my final plate looks a little different. The bright yellow corn would provide a nice contrast to the dark ribs on the plate.
I’m glad I read the TIPS section for this recipe. Even though I tried to follow the method described, I failed and my rack of ribs came out slightly burnt. Sugar is quick to caramelize under the heat of the broiler. I moved the spareribs to a lower rack in the oven once I smelled the burning marinade. That was probably the rack I should have put them on in the first place. Lesson learned.
Let’s get started! This marinade uses vinegar, so I chose apple cider vinegar for the flavor I think it will add to the final product.
This citrus squeezer is a unitasker, however, it is a useful one for juicing any kind of citrus fruit.
[Editor’s note: Yes, it may be, but I’m not going back to squeezing by hand and picking out all the seeds after owning that bad boy. Plus, we used one in the professional kitchens I’ve worked in, so I’m giving it a pass.]
After a quick stir, the marinade is complete. This wonderful pineapple-soy emulsion will add a lot of flavor to the spareribs.
Pour that marinade on both sides of the ribs and let the ribs sit for 90 minutes.
After 90 minutes, flip the ribs over and let sit for another 90 minutes while the marinade soaks into the rack of ribs.
We don’t quite have a broiler pan, but a sheet pan with a rack nested inside will do. I started the rack in the oven with the fatty side up.
The marinade causes the meat to char really quickly. The broiler started smoking as a warning that I needed to move the pan down.
After 15 minutes under the broiler, I flipped the spareribs over and got some more delicious char on the ribs.
These spareribs came out perfectly. The meat is tender and the knife cut through the rack of ribs with ease.
I served the ribs with white rice and a steam-in-bag microwave veggie mix that contained broccoli, beans, peas, and lentils. It’s not everyday that I make spareribs for dinner, but it is easily one of my favorite dishes. The ribs have a great umami flavor from soaking up the pineapple, soy, ginger glaze.
GRADE: A-
