Great Flavors, but Challenging to Make Them Extra Tender
I made some ribs earlier this month that reminded me of sweet and salty pork jerky. Delicious! Unfortunately, they were a bit chewy, so I have to improve the process.
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
Normally, I buy fresh ribs when I cook them, but since we had some in the freezer, which we bought on sale at the supermarket for $1.99 per pound, I decided to give them a try. Since I don’t make ribs often, I searched for a recipe online to help me along.
Inspiring Recipe
What I found was Cumin Pork Ribs from the website, Cooking With Lei, a reference I’ve used for six dishes now. Previously, I made a peppery, ground beef noodle dish.
First Try
Before I could prepare the ribs, I had to think ahead and defrost them two days before I planned on cooking them.
Ingredients to Use
I started with 3.04 pounds of ribs, more than what the default recipe called for. As a result, I planned to use the following for the remaining ingredients:
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce
- 10 ounces + 1/2 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon of rice wine*
- 9 cloves of garlic
- 3 tablespoons + 1 1/3 teaspoons + 1/8 teaspoon of sugar
- 3 tablespoons + 1 1/3 teaspoons + 1/8 teaspoon of cumin powder
Since the recipe wasn’t specific on the sugar, I chose to use brown sugar.
* Also, I might have been distracted while measuring the wine. Instead of adding 1/2 teaspoon at the end, I think I poured in 1/2 tablespoon.
Steps to Prepare
Of the three steps in the instructions, I made a minor adjustment to the first one and supplemented the second one, as follows:
Step 1
Since my largest glass container couldn’t fit the entire cut of ribs, I had to marinate it overnight in a stainless steel bowl.
Step 3
After baking the ribs for 10 minutes, I flipped them. Since it seemed unlikely that the whole slab was going to be cooked after another 10-15 minutes, I wondered if the setting in the recipe was for 250 degrees Celsius.
After converting the temperature to Fahrenheit and verifying a chart in the article, How Long to Cook Ribs in the Oven, from the blog, TipBuzz, I switched the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. By this time, the ribs had been baking for a total of 19 minutes.
After another 6 minutes, the ribs still weren’t cooked, so I flipped them every couple of minutes or so for about another 10 minutes, but the ribs weren’t cooking much. At that time, I realized that I had turned off the oven earlier.
Finally, with the oven back on at 450 degrees Fahrenheit, I baked the ribs for another 15 minutes.
Time to Eat
With the mishap using the oven, I questioned whether it impacted the texture of the ribs.
Recipe Rating
Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:
| Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6️⃣ | 🤏 | 💰 | 🙂 |
All the flavors came through from the marinade and seasoning. However, the meat was a little chewy.
Second Try
During the second round, my goal was to get the cooking temperature and time right.
Ingredients to Use
With the ribs weighing 2.66 pounds, a little bit less than the first time, I decreased the rest of the ingredients from before and used the following:
- 4 ounces + 1/8 teaspoon of soy sauce
- 9 ounces + 1/4 teaspoon of rice wine
- 8 cloves of garlic*
- 3 tablespoons + 1/8 teaspoon of sugar
- 3 tablespoons + 1/8 teaspoon of cumin powder
* This time, I decided to use crushed garlic instead of minced ones to save some time.
Steps to Prepare
For the process, I only changed Step 3, by cooking the ribs at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
Time to Eat
With the new cooking temperature used at the beginning of the process, I was excited to try the ribs!
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6️⃣ | 🤏 | 💰 | 🙂 |
Though the flavors of the ribs were still good, the meat was unfortunately still chewy.
With just a handful of ingredients and a simple process, I’d really like to use this recipe as a foundation again. To improve the texture of the ribs, I will try the following next time:
Continuous Improvement
- Lower the temperature setting and cook the ribs longer, e.g., 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 hours.
- Use fresh ribs instead of frozen ones.
After my experience of cooking with the wrong unit of measure, I would like to share with my dumber self the following:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- Don’t assume that units are written with the British Imperial System in mind. (There are only a few countries using it, according to the article, Why are Some Countries Still Using the Imperial System?, on the blog, Engineerine.)
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the recipe, Cumin Pork Ribs, from the website, Cooking With Lei?
- Learn more about the cooking temperature and time for pork ribs? (The article, How Long to Cook Ribs in the Oven, from the blog, TipBuzz, is a good reference to start with.)
- Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)