Spanish-style Pork ribs

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Our family rarely went out to restaurants for dinner, with one notable exception. On May 26, Dad’s birthday, we went to Bobby Rubino’s. AKA The Place for Ribs.

The only thing daddy might have liked better than sucking meat off a bone was eating for free. So a mediocre ribs joint with sticky leatherette banquettes and an All-You-Can-Eat- Ribs for FREE on your birthday was a family tradition. Forget the classic American rivalries of wet vs dry, Texas vs Kansas City, the only way to make ribs imho is the Latin way —with citrus and garlic.

Sol Food in San Rafael, CA makes the absolute best, but these are pretty great given we don’t have a wood-burning rotisserie.

Costillas

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 pound Whole rack of pork ribs
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

  • Set the ribs in a shallow baking dish.
  • Mince the garlic very fine.
  • Mix garlic with all the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, then pour over the ribs. Rub the marinade well into both sides Of the ribs, then cover in film and refrigerate overnight or several hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 250F.
  • Place a large sheet of foil (twice the length of the ribs) on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the ribs on the foil, pour the marinade on the ribs, and seal the foil around the ribs, making a tight packet. Use additional foil if needed to ensure ribs are well sealed.
  • Bake the ribs at 250F for 3 hours.
  • Remove the ribs, unwrap and discard the foil.
  • You can serve as is, or if you like them a little charred, grill or broil until charred to your liking.
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