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Five Spice Sweet Chili BBQ Ribs with Marinated Cucumber Salad

Source: Chef Chris Evangelides

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PREP TIME

45 mins

COOK TIME

210 mins

SERVING SIZE

4

What You’ll Need

1 rack Prairie Fresh USA Prime™ St. Louis Style Spareribs


Rib Prep:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
All - Five spice dry rub (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons sweet chili barbecue sauce (recipe follows)

Five Spice Dry Rub:
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon chipotle powder (smoked paprika for less spice)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1½ teaspoons brown sugar

Sweet Chili BBQ Sauce:
½ cup Hoisin sauce
¼ cup Mae Ploy™ sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons sambal oelek
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Marinated Cucumber Salad
1 English seedless cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, half-moon shaped slices
½ cup carrot, peeled and large grate
1 red bell pepper, ¼ inch julienned slices, seeds and core removed
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted
¼ cup green onion, thinly sliced

Marinated Cucumber Salad Dressing:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar, unseasoned
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon fish sauce

Garnish:
1 lime, cut into wedges
½ teaspoon white sesame seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon green onion, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 F. To prepare the Five-Spice Dry Rub, mix together the Chinese five-spice, garlic powder, chipotle powder, kosher salt and brown sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

For the Sweet Chili BBQ Sauce; add the hoisin sauce, sweet chili sauce, sesame oil, sambal oelek, fish sauce, lime juice and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Whisk together.

Place a sheet of aluminum foil down on the counter that’s roughly three inches longer on both sides than the length of the ribs. Lay a sheet of butcher’s paper or parchment paper about the same size on top of foil. Place the rib slab in the middle of the paper and proceed to drizzle the soy sauce and sesame oil over both sides and gently massage in with your hands. Evenly sprinkle the entire recipe of Five-Spice Dry Rub over the top and bottom of the ribs. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of Sweet Chili BBQ Sauce over each side of the rib. With the ribs in the center, wrap tightly the paper followed by the foil. Place the wrapped ribs meat side up on a sheet tray on oven’s middle rack. Cook for 3 hours.

Remove ribs from the oven.

Set your oven to 425 F.

While the oven is preheating, carefully unwrap the ribs being careful not to break apart the ribs and return them to a sheet tray. Apply 1 tablespoon of Sweet Chili BBQ Sauce to both sides (2 tablespoons total), finishing with the meat side up. Once oven is preheated, place the ribs meat side up in the oven for 6-8 minutes until the sauce is bubbly. Remove ribs from oven and apply another tablespoon of sauce to both sides, finishing with the meat side up. Place ribs in oven and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes until the sauce is slightly caramelized. Remove from the oven. Place on a serving platter and sprinkle with toasted white sesame seeds and green onions. Serve with a heaping mound of the Marinated Cucumber Salad, lime wedge and remaining Sweet Chili BBQ Sauce for dipping.

Chef's Note: Creating a great dish is most importantly about balance. These ribs create the perfect opportunity to find a harmonious mix of sweet, savory, spice and acid. Sweet and savory has always been one of my favorite pairings and with the addition of a little spice in the sauce and sweet acidity in the cucumber salad, it makes this dish really sing! I love to enjoy these types of flavors with a good crisp IPA or medium bodied lager.

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