Braised Back Ribs

 

Last week I went shopping and damn near passed out in the meat aisle. A package of short ribs was going for $18. Even the ham hocks, once reliably inexpensive, cost over $15 a pair.

I tucked a package of back ribs into my cart–$7.49 a pound, in case you’re curious–and wondered why nobody braises them. Or if they do, why I don’t hear about it.

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As their name indicates, back ribs come from the back of the cow. Being less meaty than short ribs means back ribs are less desirable. Meaning they’re cheaper. For now, anyway.

While nobody would mistake my package of back ribs for short ribs, nor would any reasonable person find them puny or lacking in meat.

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Into the kitchen.

There are two ways to prepare a braise. The first, a method I employed for years, is the minimal effort approach: prep ingredients. Toss them into pot (or the slow cooker). Cook. Serve.

The second way is to build a braise. Instead of haphazardly flinging ingredients into cooking vessels, I began taking the time to pre-salt meats and brown them. I deglazed pans with wine, reduced those wines, then added flavorful ingredients like duck fat or pig parts. You get the idea.

Depending on your mood, building a braise can be extremely relaxing or highly annoying. Whatever your mental state, these time consuming steps are worth the effort. The point in braising is not futzing with weird, expensive ingredients nobody can pronounce. Just the opposite. The point of building a braise is to take extra time to make cheap, easily accessible food taste better. For good measure, you’ll be stretching it to feed more people.

To that end, I’ve included some examples of cheap, tasty ways to extend a braise. (Or stew, or soup.)

A few strands of orange peel. Citrus pairs well with beef, pork, chicken, and tofu. It also freezes well.

Salt preserved anchovies. Forget the tasteless rubbery erasers on cheap pizza. Trust me: I am a reformed anchovy hater. Salt and bones are easily removed under cool running water.

The judicious addition of salt pork (pictured above), pancetta, bacon, or other porky bits can only help a long-cooked dish. Quality salt pork is cheap. Buy a pound, slice it into smaller pieces, and freeze individually. They’ll keep indefinitely. Add to braises, stews, soups, and stir-fries.

For non-pork eaters, the next time you roast a chicken, freeze about three tablespoons of the cooking juices. Caveat: the chicken should be rather plain. You don’t want highly spiced juices impacting the braise. Think nice, plain chicken.

Yeah, it’s ugly. But it tastes good. That’s what matters.

A shot of brandy never hurts a braise or stew. Lacking brandy, fortified wines like dry Marsala, Port, or Madeira work beautifully. That bottle costing $55? Leave it on the shelf. See that $12 bottle in the corner? That’s the one you want.

Happily, even the cheapest olives are good, and I’ve yet to encounter truly bad tomato paste. As for whether or not to buy pitted olives, the choice is yours. I live with somebody who has breathing problems. I’ve had to do the Heimlich on him twice. Neither event involved olive pits, but why invite trouble? Pitted olives, all the way.

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So as food prices soar–and given recent events, I suspect they aren’t going to plumment–you might think about adding one or two of the above ingredients to your next slow-cooked meal. Don’t add everything, or you’ll just have a confused mess. We hardly need more of that.

For today’s back rib braise, I added tomato paste, Marsala, and a piece of pancetta to the base recipe, which includes carrots and rutabaga.

I could’ve prettied up this bit of pancetta, but isn’t it nice to see something that hasn’t been airbrushed?

I realize many people aren’t on team rutabaga. Substitute turnips, or if you dislike those too, just add potatoes. Who doesn’t like potatoes?

Let us take a moment to discuss fat. Braised back ribs are fatty. There is no avoiding this fact. Most of this fat is marbled through the meat, tenderizing it during the long, slow, cooking. But some fat will break loose during cooking, floating around the cooking vessel and striking fear in the hearts of many. I lack photographic evidence of this, so instead give you carrots.

The best way to remove excess fat from your lovely braised back ribs is to permit them a nice refrigerated rest. Ideally this rest will be overnight. Barring that, give the dish a few hours to cool, allowing the fat to congeal and rise to the top of the cooking vessel, where you can easily remove it. Again, I lack photographic evidence of this.

In all honesty, some fat will remain in the body of the dish. These hard globules–I know, not very appetizing–are easily removed with a small spoon or your very clean hands. And yes, the idea of picking fat out of a stewy dish by hand may sound disgusting, but I want to be honest here. This is why disposable gloves are a good thing.

An entire head of garlic went into this recipe. I split it in half and tossed into the pot. To serve, I peeled a few cloves and left the rest whole. You can do the same, or remove the head of garlic and serve it separately. Diners can serve themselves, either adding cloves to their portions of braised rib or spreading the now sweet puree on bread. It’s up to you.

Serve braised back ribs with noodles, mashed potatoes, rice, or polenta. Mustard is a nice foil for the stew’s richness. And a green salad is a must. If you’re serving the garlic separately, offer bread, too.

Any leftovers are delicious in tortillas, with beans, thinly sliced white onions, shredded lettuce or cabbage, salsa, or hot sauce. Unorthodox, yes, but very good.