Honey Glazed Western Ribs
Western ribs are one of my favorite cuts of pork. They are meaty and have just enough fat to be tender. They are easy to cook, too. You can grill, broil, bake, saute or braise them. I am sure I am leaving a few methods out.
This time I decided to pickle mine, in a way. I brined the ribs in pickle juice. The vinegar and salt flavor the meat and make it more tender. When I say pickle juice, I mean just that. I save the brine from jars of pickles and store them in the fridge until ready to use. The pickle juice has so many uses. You can use it as a base for salad dressings, sauces, dips and marinades. You can add pickle juice to Bloody Marys, too. For this recipe I used dill (sour) pickle brine.
I placed the ribs in a container and poured pickle juice over them. I poked them with a fork and kept them, covered, in the fridge for 3 days. They were sauteed in a pan and finished with honey and seasonings. They were really good. Here is a more exact recipe. Enjoy!!
Honey Glazed Western Ribs
4 Western ribs, about 2 lbs.
1 c. pickle juice -from dill pickles, not sweet pickles
2 T. oil
salt and pepper
2-3 T. honey
1 t. hot sauce, optional, to taste
At least 2 days and up to 4 days before cooking the ribs place them in a bowl or dish and pour over the pickle juice. Pierce the ribs with a fork to help get the bring inside the meat. Try to pierce all over the ribs. Cover and store in fridge until ready to cook. Drain the ribs, pat dry and heat oil in a skillet. Season the ribs and saute in the pan. They are pretty thick cuts of meat. You want them to get some color on them and cook through. I started them on high heat and cooked them on each side 4-5 minutes, or until they were getting nice and golden. Then I turned the heat down and let them cook through, turning a time or two. I would say this took another 10 minutes total. I added the honey and hot sauce to the pan. Then I spooned the honey over them and turned the heat up to medium. I spooned the honey and pan juices over the ribs until they looked nice and glazed and the glaze was starting to brown without burning. I spooned some of the glaze over them, being careful to drain the fat out of the pan first. Serve with whatever sides you like. These are great with coleslaw. Serves 2-4.
