A Ribby Christmas

Hot off the grill and ready for the table

This past Christmas we decided to do a little something different. None of us really felt like eating roast beef or wanted to make a fish soup. But all of us were in agreement that ribs sounded outstanding.

I have a great recipe a friend gave to me over the summer. The ribs have a definite Asian influence, made with ginger, soy sauce, orange juice, and ginger ale. We decided to pair the ribs with some down home favorites: mac & cheese, baked beans, sweet potatoes, buttermilk biscuits, and a carrot cake for dessert. The adults seemed as happy as the kids for this unusual holiday meal. See my favorite recipe below. Even the non-rib eaters gave it a double thumbs up.

My plate piled high and clean.

A shot of the marinade for the ribs cooking

Our Favorite Ribs

6 servings

14 large garlic cloves—8 peeled and smashed, 6 minced
1/2 cup sliced fresh ginger plus 1/4 cup minced (6 ounces total)
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
4 star anise pods
3 cups soy sauce
2 quarts water
2 cups ginger ale
1/2 cup dry white wine
Strips of zest and juice from 1 navel orange
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup cilantro stems plus 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
3 racks of baby back ribs (5 1/2 pounds)
2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large roasting pan, combine the smashed garlic with the sliced ginger, scallion whites, star anise, 1 1/2 cups of the soy sauce, the water, ginger ale, white wine, orange zest and juice, granulated sugar and cilantro stems. Set the pan over 2 burners and bring to a boil over moderately high heat.

Add the baby back ribs to the roasting pan, cover tightly with foil and bake for about 2 hours, or until the ribs are very tender. Let cool to room temperature, then spread the ribs out in a single layer on a baking sheet and refrigerate until chilled and firm, about 30 minutes. Discard the braising liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil. Add the minced garlic and ginger and the scallion greens and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of soy sauce, the brown sugar, ketchup and crushed red pepper and bring to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and add the chopped cilantro. Transfer the rib sauce to cooled ribs.

Finish off the ribs on the grills for about 15 minutes. Let them get a healthy coating of crust.Pile on a platter and serve hot.