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.
Cooking with Pickle Juice
Chicken in Pickle Juice/Honey Glaze
The older I get, the more I realize I am turning into my Mother. She hated to waste food. She also hated to waste flavor. Let me explain.
If mom were roasting a piece of meat or perhaps a chicken, she would use the pan drippings to make gravy. Nothing odd about that.
However, if she was not using the drippings to make gravy, she would still save the drippings to use later on. She would scrape them out of the pan and toss them in the freezer. Then she would use her saved drippings in all sorts of dishes later on. She would add them to soups, or her sweet and sour cabbage.
When the last pickle was eaten from a jar- Mom would save the pickle juice, as she called it. She said she hated to just throw it away, it had so much flavor in it. She would use the liquid in different ways. Sometimes, she would just add more veggies to the jar. Sometimes she would add the pickle juice to a dish. She saved the liquid from both sweet pickles and dill pickles.
To this day, I have a hard time tossing leftover pickle juice. I have two jars in my fridge right now. I also save those drippings to use later. Whenever I use them, I remember her. That is a nice memory for me.
So how do you use pickle juice? Probably the easiest way is in salad dressing. It’s already vinegar based. I just prep my salad veggies, toss with some oil and drizzle with some pickle juice. Depending on the brine, you might not even need to add salt. Finish with some fresh ground pepper.
Tossed Salad with Pickle Juice Dressing
You can add pickle juice to sauces, chili, dressings, soups and veggies. Add a little, then see if you want a bit more.It is a nice base for marinades, too.
I used it in a tossed salad the other night. I just added some avocado oil to the veggies first. I tossed the oil in, then drizzled in some pickle juice. I added some fresh ground pepper and a little Asiago cheese to finish off the salad.
Pickle juice can make a nice base for a sweet and sour sauce, too.
I used it in a chicken dish the other night. I sauteed chicken thighs and shallots in a pan. Then I added sherry, pickle juice and honey to the pan. The mixture, cooked down into a glaze was very tasty.
Chicken Thighs in a Pickle Juice/Honey Glaze
6 chicken thighs, bone in
1 lb. shallots, peeled and sliced
1 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. pickle juice- from sour, not sweet, pickles
1/4 c. sherry
1/4 c. honey
1 t. fresh grated ginger
hot sauce to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
In large skillet, brown thighs on both sides over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until they are just starting to turn golden. Add remaining ingredients and reduce heat to low. Cover pan and let chicken cook about 15 minutes. Really large thighs could use 20 minutes. Remove lid and turn heat up to medium. Allow liquids in pan to cook down into a glaze. Baste chicken pieces a few times. As sauce cooks down, turn heat down a bit to prevent it from burning. This will take about 10 minutes. You probably won’t need salt, but check seasonings before serving. Place chicken on serving plate and spoon over the shallots and sauce.
