A tiny apartment kitchen is no obstacle to lip-smacking barbecue if you have a bottle of liquid smoke and a can-do attitude. A mostly make ahead meal that is perfect for hosting guests.

Time: 5/5
It’s best to start this two days ahead.

Effort: 4/5
All the pre-baking, turning and glazing makes this recipe a labour of love.

Where There’s Smoke

With the 4th of July coming up, I wanted to cook some American food. I settled on oven-roasted ribs because they’re pretty foolproof, and feasible in my tiny apartment kitchen. It’s also possible to use liquid smoke to pretty closely mimic the taste of ribs cooked in a bona fide smoker. The same liquid smoke also really makes a home-made barbecue sauce pop!

Besides, I can do most of the prep ahead of time, and cooking it all the way in the oven leaves my hands free to make the side dishes on the stove. Or perhaps I shouldn’t call the duck fat home fries a side dish, because they were definitely the main character.

I don’t fry food often, because it takes so much cleanup. But I had guests over this particular night, and a bit of duck fat that I have been saving for a special occasion. So this is as good a time as any to try my hand at making the best potatoes I can with everything I’ve learned.

You may know that fries taste better if they’re pre-cooked. But while other recipes suggest par-boiling or frying the potatoes first, I like to use the microwave instead! They turn out great, and it’s much less work. By microwaving the potatoes twice and letting them steam off in between, I was able to get them nice and fluffy on the inside while still having a dry exterior to crisp up. And just like the ribs, the potatoes can be mostly make-ahead as well!

I had a hunch that this recipe would turn out great, and I was right. I made this for a double date dinner party, and I was so proud of the results. The food was delicious and photogenic, and so satisfying to eat – there’s something primal about pulling bones from a large pile of meat. And I had plenty of home-made barbecue sauce to glaze some chicken legs with.

So here we are with the blow-by-blow account of one of the best meals I’ve created in a long while. I’m sure I’ll be referring back to this post again for my own reference in the future.

Posts since the last recipe that was actually served with rice: 1

Dramatis Personae

Served 4.

Spice mix

• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tsp kashmirilal
• 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
• 1.5 tsp salt

I use Kashmirilal just because I have it around for making Indian curries like Chicken Tikka Masala. Feel free to substitute any other chili powder you have or want.

Ribs 

• 2lbs pork ribs
• Half of the spice mix
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp liquid smoke

Careful not to overdo the liquid smoke, it can get overpowering! Use the mustard as a paste to help the spice mix adhere to the ribs.

Barbecue sauce

• Other half of the spice mix
• 200ml ketchup
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp molasses
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp liquid smoke

The tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce is there for tartness, in lieu of the vinegar that I intended to use but ran out of. The sauce should also taste sweeter than you’d like, because it needs to sweeten a lot of pork.

Duck fat home fries

• 900g potatoes
• 100ml duck fat
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper

Keeping the seasoning very simple, because I want the flavour of the duck fat to shine.

Executive summary

For the Ribs

1. Cut the ribs into manageable pieces. Coat them with mustard and liquid smoke, then rub all over with half of the spice mix.
2. Wrap ribs tightly in foil and marinade overnight.
3. The next day, bake the ribs wrapped for 2 hours at 170C/340F.
4. Let the ribs cool down, and pour off the juices (you may add them to the barbecue sauce, or save them for a stew). You may stop here and refrigerate the ribs if making them ahead of time.
5. Before serving, heat the oven to 200C/400F.
6. Lay the ribs bone side up on a baking sheet lined with foil and parchment paper. Brush the bone side with barbecue sauce and bake on the top rack for a few minutes.
7. Flip the ribs over and brush the meat side with sauce, baking for 8-10 minutes. Repeat 2-3 times, then serve.

For the Potatoes 

1. Wash and scrub the potatoes well. Cut into 1 inch cubes and toss with salt and pepper.
2. Microwave the potatoes on high power (800W) for 5 minutes. Pour off any excess liquid, and allow potatoes to steam off and cool down.
3. Microwave again on high for another 5 minutes and allow to steam off. You may stop at this point and refrigerate the potatoes.
4. Before serving, put duck fat into a pan and put on medium-high heat.
5. Fry the potatoes for 10-20 minutes, tossing occasionally, until browned to your liking. Serve hot.

Play by Play

Last things first. I need the spice mix for both the ribs and the sauce, so I’m putting that together first.

My ribs came with the membrane already removed, so all I need to do is cut them into serving sized pieces. I rubbed them all over with half the slice mix, some mustard, and a few drops of liquid smoke.

The ribs can go into the fridge to marinade overnight – this gives time for the flavours, especially the liquid smoke, to permeate the meat. This brings day one to a close.

Here’s day two. The ribs take the longest so I start with them. They go in the oven to bake, low and slow.

Meanwhile, I’m making the barbecue sauce ahead of time so the flavours have time to develop. Taste and adjust as you go, until you’re happy with it. This also goes into the fridge overnight. I made more than I need, so I have plenty of extra to go towards my next meal prep.

Always wash your veggies! I always keep a spare Scotch-Brite pad that never touches detergent, just to scrub my root vegetables. Cube them up, then toss in salt and pepper.

Into the microwave the potatoes go, with a paper towel covering them just in case there are any starchy explosions. I nuked them twice for 5 minutes on high, letting them steam off to dry up after each time. Make sure to give them a toss before the second rounds to make sure they cook evenly. Once cooled down, the potatoes go in the fridge too.

The ribs are finally done with the low and slow roasting, and there’s plenty of drippings. Save them for a stew somewhere down the line, or add them to the barbecue sauce. Dealer’s choice. The ribs return to the fridge once they’re cooled down.

It’s day 3, and we’re finally ready to put things together! Things will take about 45 minutes from here on out.

I’ll glaze the bone side with barbecue sauce first, so the ribs can finish meat-side up. I’ll give each layer about 10 minutes on a pretty high heat, at the top rack.

In the meantime, I’m frying the potatoes in the duck fat, tossing every few minutes to make sure every side is coated. This step took surprisingly long, about 20 minutes.

Our guests arrived at this point, and I put them to work tossing the salad. Just store-bought salad mix and store-bought sesame dressing – the rest of the meal is more than enough work.

All while the potatoes are being fried and the salad was being tossed, I was glazing the meat side of the ribs with a new layer of sauce every 10 minutes. This is after 3 layers, and my hunger is finally outweighing my patience. It’s time to eat!

What a spread! We microwaved some canned minestrone to kick this dinner up another notch. There’s plenty of extra sauce and salad for those who want second helpings.

Potatoes that were crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside, and meat that is fall-off-the-bone tender. I’d say this dinner was a resounding success!

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