Friday, July 12, 2013

Tangy Country Style Ribs from Jan's Sushi Bar

I found some country style pork ribs on special and couldn't leave them at the store.  When I got home, I searched for something special to do with them and came across this recipe from Jan's Sushi Bar for Tangy Country Style Ribs that were prepared in a pressure cooker.  As temperatures have been pretty high where I live, the idea of not having to turn on the oven was really appealing to me.  

I gathered my ingredients.  The recipe calls for ketchup, and Jan provides her own recipe, but I used some of my preferred Paleo Ketchup.  I had some made already from making my Ketchup and Mustard Pork Chops.  


I started by measuring and mixing all of the spices needed together in a small bowl so I could evenly coat the pork with it.  I sprinkled the spice mixture over the pork and used my hands to make sure it was fully covered.  


I heated 1 tablespoon of coconut oil over medium-high heat in the pressure cooker pot.  The recipe calls for lard, but I didn't have any.  I figured coconut oil would do.  Once the pot was hot, I added the spiced pork ribs to the pot to brown.  I browned them for about 3-4 minutes per side.   This was one instance where I wish my pressure cooker had more width than height.    



While the pork was browning, I measured out the liquid ingredients.  This recipe calls for Worcestershire sauce.  Though I have found a good paleo Worcestershire sauce recipe, I decided this was a good opportunity to try using a combination of fish sauce and coconut aminos as a Worcestershire sauce substitute.  I used 1/2 teaspoon of each.  



I started measuring them in the same ramekin that I used for the spices but then decided it was easiest to just put them in the measuring cup with the chicken broth.  I could have sworn I took a picture of this, but I guess I did not.  Imagine a measuring cup with chicken broth, mustard, paleo ketchup, apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos,  and fish sauce all mixed together.   

I added the flavoring liquid to the pressure cooker pot.  Here is what it looked like before I put the lid on and brought the pot to pressure.  


Once the pot was at pressure, I set a timer for 15 minutes.  When the timer went off, I turned the burner off and let the pressure release naturally as recommended by the recipe.  Here is what I had when I took the lid off the cooker.  


I carefully removed a rib from the pot and sliced it up.  


I followed Jan's advice and used the juice as a sauce.  


Accessibility & Cost of Ingredients:  There are two ingredients that you wont be able to find at the store:  paleo ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.  These are pretty quick and easy to whip up.  I think for this application, my use of 1/2 teaspoon of coconut aminos and 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce worked out well.  Make sure your fish sauce is gluten free.  I recommend Red Boat.  Everything else you should be able to find fairly inexpensively at your "big box" grocery store.  

Preparation & Cooking Time: It took me about 10 minutes to get the pork ready to cook under pressure.  It took my cooker about 5 minutes to come to pressure and then I cooked it for 15 minutes at pressure.  By the time my cooker had decreased naturally  my timer read 39 minutes.  

Clean Up:  The clean up was super easy.  Everything except for my cooker went into the dishwasher.  The cooker didn't require any heavy scrubbing.  

The Paleo Review:  Thumbs Up!  I'm so glad to find another way to get a tasty meal on the table in a minimal amount of time.  The pork comes out super tender and the sauce gives it a tangy moisture that helps this recipe live up to its title.  As I mentioned in the ingredients section, I think the coconut aminos /fish sauce Worcestershire sauce substitution worked well for this recipe.  Yum.  

This recipe is inspiring me to try different meats in the pressure cooker.  Do you have a favorite pressure cooker meat dish?