Recipe for beer baby back ribs (spareribs) with cabbage and puree
On the hunt for a juicy and flavorful dish that will impress your guests? Then our recipe for Porter Beer Marinated and Cooked Spareribs is just for you! This delicious and hearty dish is perfect for a cozy dinner with friends and family when you want to serve something truly special. We have combined the rich taste of Porter beer with tender spareribs, slow-cooked to achieve the perfect texture. The dish is then finished with spices in the oven.
As an accompaniment, we serve celery root puree, crispy almonds, and sautéed pointed cabbage, which add extra flavor and texture to the dish. Read on to find out how you can make this delicious dish at home and impress your guests with your culinary skills!
The reason I use Porter beer for this dish is that it is a dark and rich beer type, often with notes of coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt. When you use Porter beer as a marinade for your spareribs, the beer’s flavor penetrates the meat, giving it a distinctive taste and aroma. The roasted malt in the beer can impart a slightly smoky flavor to the meat, which pairs well with the sweet and spicy taste of the spareribs. Additionally, the bitterness and acidity of the Porter beer help to balance the fattiness of the meat, providing a complex and nuanced flavor. Overall, the taste and aroma of Porter beer will elevate your spareribs to new heights and deliver a delightful and intense taste experience.
Beer Baby Back Ribs (spareribs) with Cabbage and Puree
Equipment
- Deciliter Measure
- Cutting Board
- Pre-Slicing Knife
- Chef'S Knife
- Pot
- Bowl
- Oven
- Immersion Hand Blender (Option 1)
- Blender (Option 2)
- Brush
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
Ribs in beer
- 1 kg Spare Ribs
- 2 pcs. Beer Porter
- 10 pcs. Peppercorns
- 4 pcs. Bay Leaf
Marinade
- Salt and Pepper
- 30 gram Passata or chopped tomatoes
- 20 gram Brown sugar
- 14 gram Spice Mix Ankerkraut's "Pull That Piggy". Includes paprika, sea salt, cane sugar, onion and garlic powder, pepper, cumin, oregano, celery, bay leaves, jalapenos.
Celery/onion puree
- 1/2 pcs. Celery
- 1 pcs. Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 200 gram Cream perhaps a bit more if it doesn't cover
- 200 gram Whole Milk perhaps a bit more if it doesn't cover
- 5 ribs Fresh thyme
- 15 gram Butter
- Salt
Fried scallions
- 1/2 pcs. Pointed Cabbage
- 15 gram Ghee or butter or oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper
Topping
- Pickled red onions
- Almonds preferably salted
- Fresh thyme
Instructions
Marinated Spareribs
- Start by removing the largest layer of fat and tendons from the meat.
- Next, remove the membranes. If you bought them from a butcher, ask them to do it, as it can be a bit annoying and tricky.
- Basically, it’s about using a clean dishtowel/paper towel so your fingers don't slip. You need to get hold of the membranes on the ribs, either by prying a little with a knife/spoon and then pulling them off.
- Place your spareribs in a pot or container with a lid. Cut them into smaller pieces if needed.
- Add beer, peppercorns, and bay leaves to the container along with the meat. Top up with extra water until the meat is covered.
- Let it sit for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, so they can soak up the beer for many hours.
Boiling the Spareribs
- Bring the liquid with your spareribs to a boil.
- There will be foam forming on the surface of the liquid, remove it with a spoon.
- Let it boil for 30-45 minutes, depending on how tender you want them. Mine were relatively small (from Iberico/Blackfoot pig) and I like them with a bit of chew.
- Take them out of the pot and rinse them under cold water under a faucet so the last bit of foam is washed off.
- Put them in a bag and add the marinade mixture.
- Shake the bag well (be careful due to the sharp bones) to distribute the marinade evenly. The meat can now be refrigerated until it's ready for the oven, or let the marinade sit for at least 30 minutes before putting them in the oven.
Roasting the Spareribs
- Preheat the oven to 225°C fan. The oven can be substituted with a hot grill.
- Cook the meat for 15-20 minutes in the oven. The marinade on top should just get some color and caramelize a bit.
- Take the meat out of the oven and it’s ready to serve.
Celery/Onion Puree
- Wash, peel and halve the celery root. Cut it into small cubes.
- Next, peel and chop 1 clove of garlic and 1 onion into small pieces.
- Put everything in a pot and add cream and whole milk until everything in the pot is covered.
- Place fresh thyme sprigs in a tea strainer so that it doesn't get dispersed in the mixture - just the flavor.
- Bring to a boil, stirring regularly, and lower the heat.
- Let it simmer for about 20 minutes until everything is completely tender.
- The key for me to getting a good puree is the following:
- Drain the liquid (save it in a jug/container) and (immersion) blend the tender vegetables with a bit of the cooking liquid and butter.
- Add a little liquid at a time until you are satisfied with the consistency. It should be fairly thick and smooth.
- Taste the puree and season with salt (possibly white pepper) until you are happy with the flavor.
- Transfer the puree to a new (and clean) pot and warm it over low heat for a few minutes.
Fried Cabbage
- Cut your cabbage into 2 halves and use only one part for this meal.
- Melt your ghee or butter and mix it in a bowl with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Remove the outer leaf and brush the cabbage with the spice mixture.
- Fry the cabbage on one side for 3-4 minutes (my cabbage was small - use 5 minutes for an average/large cabbage).
- Turn the cabbage to the other inside and fry for another 3-4 minutes.
- Finally, give it 3 more minutes on the outer side.
- Take the cabbage off the pan.
Serving
- Chop the salted almonds into smaller pieces.
- Cut your spareribs into slices along the bones.
- Serve spareribs with puree, cabbage, chopped almonds, and pickled red onions.
- Bon appétit.
Notes
You can advantageously make a large portion of spareribs at once. After boiling, simply freeze them, so you have an easy dinner another day.
The cabbage and the finishing of your spareribs can easily be done on a grill instead of a pan or oven. You can also use a grill pan for the cabbage.