Braised Pork Spareribs

Braised pork spareribs is slow cooked pork spareribs simmered in tomato stew seasoned with lemon soda, soy sauce, calamansi, pepper, garlic, onion, bell pepper, sugar, salt and bay leaves! Also best when made super duper spicy. Up to the bones ang sarap! You ever loved a dish you wanna eat them including the bones? That’s what the braised pork spareribs will make youill make you!

BRAISED PORK SPARERIBS RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo pork spareribs
• 1 cup Sprite (or 7up)
• 10 pieces calamansi
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• Pepper to taste
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium onion
• 1 red bell pepper (optional)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• Fish sauce or salt to taste
• 2 cups of water
• 2 dried bay leaves

Directions:

1. Wash and prepare the pork spareribs and place them into a container. Add the Sprite, calamansi juice, soy sauce and pepper. Gently mix them using the hands. Let them marinate for at least an hour.
2. Heat some oil in a pan. Sear the marinated spareribs (reserve the marinade). Flip them to cook the other side. When nicely seared on both sides, set them aside.
3. Using the same pan, melt some butter. Add the garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes. Add the seared spareribs back to the pan and saute them together. 
4. Add the bay leaves, the marinade and some water. Cover the pan and let it simmer using medium low heat for 30 to 40 minutes or until the ribs are tender.
5. When tender, add the tomato sauce and sugar. Season using fish sauce or salt. Cover the pan and cook for a few minutes until the sauce is reduced.
6. In the last minute of cooking, add some chopped red bell peppers (optional).
7. Transfer the braised pork spareribs to a serving plate. Enjoy it with a lot of hot steaming rice. Yum!

What are Spareribs

Spareribs, or pork ribs, is a cut from the lower area of the pork, with the breastbone and ribs. These are usually the ones who are already sticking onto the bones (the ribs). You can easily spot one from the market if  a meat has too much bones in it.

Did you now why these are called spareribs? According to The Spruce Eats, it was known that these ribs are traditionally prepared on a spit or spear, which gave the name “spare” instead of spear.  Although it might be a hassle for some, spareribs are really one of the most special cuts of pork. They are the meatiest, more tender, tastiest and soft textured.

Braised Pork Spareribs

Braising is one of my favorite cooking methods everytime I have only a few energy to spend in the kitchen. With braising, all you needed to do is to have the dish together and tthen slow-cook and simmer them in a savoury sauce.

A pig has been freshly slaughtered (“bagong katay”) by the neigbhor. Of course I am your friendly kapitbahay who offers to cook in exchange of some free meat. As usual, not all people want the spareribs part since it is full of bones. But of course, if no one likes it, then I’mma grab it! It is super sad knowing that some people discard the spareribs because it is “too bony”.

Spareribs is only best cooked by braising, boiling or simmering since it is full of bones. It will be really hard to pan fry some boney pork! What I love about spareribs aside from the taste is the challenge of taking them out from the bones.

If you want some challenge in eating, make some braised pork spareribs. Simply read and follow the recipe below. Happy cooking!

How to Cook Braised Pork Spareribs

Making braised pork spareribs is super duper easy. With just a few simple steps, you can surely have a very nice dinner with this one!

We all know that the meat is extra tasty when it’s near the bones. To make sure to achieve the best version of the spareribs, let’s first marinate them in a mixture of lemon soda, calamansi juice and soy sauce. This marinade is one among the basic ones. Taste and season the marinade as this will also serve as the sauce base for later.

Sear the spareribs. Searing adds flavor to the dish and helps seal the juices inside the meat. As usual, the aromatic base is the base of all recipes. Saute them together with the spareribs then add the marinade. Of course we won’t waste the flavors of the marinade!

The next step is waiting game. Simmering the spareribs in the sauce might take up to 40 minutes. At least you know it will be super duper tender! Add the rest of the ingredients and make sure to season it well. Add some sugar if you need to balance the taste.

Top the braised pork spareribs in a bowl of hot steaming rice. Make sure to pour a lot of the sauce over it! Yum!

Braised Pork Spareribs Recipe in Tagalog

Mga Sangkap:

• 1 kilo ng pork spareribs
• 1 tasa ng Sprite (o 7up)
• 10 piraso ng calamansi
• ¼ tasa ng toyo
• paminta
• 5 butil ng bawang
• 1 sibuyas
• 1 red bell pepper (optional)
• 1 kutsara ng asukal
• ½ tasa ng tomato sauce
• Patis o asin
• 2 tasa ng tubig
• 2 dried bay leaves

Paano Lutuin:

1. Linisin at ihanda ang pork spareribs at ilipat ang mga ito sa lalagyan. Buhusan ito ng sprite at lagyan ng calamansi juice, toyo at paminta. Haluin ang mga ito gamit ang kamay. Imarinate ito ng 1 oras.
2. Magpainit ng konting mantika. Iprito ang mga spareribs (isantabi ang marinade). Baliktarin ang mga ito para maluto ang kabilang side. Kapag medyo brown na ang parehong side, isantabi ito.
3. Tunawin ang butter sa parehong kawali. Ilagay ang sibuyas at bawang at igisa ng ilang minuto. Ilagay ang spareribs at igisa ito nang magkakasama.
4. Ilagay ang dahon ng laurel, ang marinade at konting tubig. Takpan ang kawali at hayaan itong maluto gamit ang katamtamang apoy ng 30 – 40 minuto hanggang maging malambot ang karne.
5. Kapag malambot na, ilagay ang tomato sauce at asukal. Timplahan ito ng patis o asin. Takpan ang kawali at hayaan itong maluto hanggang umonti ang sabaw.
6. Bago hanguin, maglagay ng bell peppers (optional).
7. Ilipat ang braised pork spareribs sa serving plate. Enjoyin ito kasama ang mainit na kanin. Yum!