michelle picker cooks

Juicy, spicy, sticky and wonderfully complex, these baked ribs are from a recipe by Gary Mehigan of Masterchef Australia. 

Combine ½ a finely chopped brown onion, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of  salt, 1 teaspoon of chilli powder, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of mustard powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano leaves. Rub this mixture onto 1.5kg (3⅓ lbs) of pork ribs and set aside to marinate for 3-4 hours. In a saucepan combine 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of malt vinegar, 1½ teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of chilli powder, 1 teaspoon of mustard powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, ½ a cup of bourbon, 1 finely diced onion, 1 finely diced tomato, 2 bay leaves, 1 finely diced jalapeño chilli and the juice and rind of 1 orange. Boil this mixture and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes until thickening a little. When the pork is marinated preheat your oven and quickly sear the ribs on a griddle or a barbecue. Place the ribs in an oven dish, pour the sauce over them, cover with a lid or foil and bake in a moderate oven for 1½ hours, turning and basting every 20 minutes or so.

For a fresh and cool accompaniment to these ribs try this iceberg wedge salad with creamy ranch dressing.

Wash and drain an iceberg lettuce and cut into wedges. Arrange the wedges on a platter with slices of cucumber and tomato. For the dressing combine ¼ of a cup of buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk use yoghurt or light sour cream and milk) with a tablespoon of good mayonnaise, ¼ of a teaspoon of powdered garlic, some fresh herbs of your choice and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over the salad.