Last Updated on September 17, 2023
Sometimes you don’t have to grill to feel like you’ve just cooked outside for hours. That’s the case with these no-grill ribs partly because of the Guajillo marinade that has concentrated summery ingredients like tomato paste and dried and smoky peppers. It’s also because of the light char and caramelization that happens when broiling these tenderly braised ribs in the oven. Also, ribs, however they’re cooked, are best eaten outdoors, whether that’s on your balcony or apartment stoop, or in your backyard or the park.
If you’ve never cooked ribs, they are actually quite easy. In this recipe you essentially rub them with a delicious marinade and throw them in the oven until super tender. It’s a breeze. Besides the pickled onions and cilantro, try serving these with beans, a macaroni salad or even shredded off the bone for a sandwich filling that’s a bit like pulled pork.
Ingredients
- ButcherBox St. Louis-Style Rack of Pork Ribs defrosted and patted dry
- 1 tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher or 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt plus more
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups chicken stock
- 5 dried Guajillo chiles stemmed and de-seeded
- 2 chipotle chiles in adobo
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 large shallots thinly sliced
- 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 tsp dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
- ½ cup cup red or white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- Cilantro leaves and tender stems for serving
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan with a double layer of aluminum foil. Place the rack of pork ribs on top (if it doesn't fit inside the frame, cut the rack in half), season all over with salt and pepper and let sit for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a medium pot, place the stock, Guajillo and chipotle chiles, sugar, tomato paste, shallots, garlic, oregano and the 1 tablespoon salt. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until the Guajillo peppers, shallots and garlic are fully softened, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in ¼ cup of the vinegar. Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth.
- Pour half of the Guajillo sauce (about 1 cup) over the rack on the prepped sheet pan, use your hands to massage the sauce all over the ribs then rinse off your hands. Cover the ribs completely and tightly with more foil. Transfer the remaining sauce to a small bowl.
- Place the ribs on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the meat is very tender, about 2 to 2½ hours. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining ¼ cup red wine vinegar, ¼ cup water, the granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon salt in a small bowl until dissolved. Add the sliced red onion, toss and place in the fridge.
- Carefully take the ribs out of the oven, remove the foil and turn the ribs over so the meaty sides are facing upward if they’re not already. Dip a brush into the extra sauce, generously brush it all over ribs and transfer remaining sauce to a serving bowl,
- Adjust a rack in the oven about 6 inches below the broiler and turn it on. Place the sauced racks below and broil, carefully brushing more juices onto the ribs halfway through, until browned and caramelized in spots and the sauce has formed a dark reddish brown crust, about 8 to 12 minutes or so (but it really depends on the proximity to to your broiler and how powerful it is). Take the ribs out of the oven and transfer them to a cutting board.
- To serve, brush more sauce on the ribs, as desired, and plate with the pickled red onions and cilantro.
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