Sticky Guava Ribs
These easy, oven-baked ribs are sticky, sweet, spicy and splendidly delicious. The sweet guava paste makes an excellent foundation for the barbeque sauce, resulting in a sauce that’s quick to caramelize and clings to your fingers with every bite. The low and slow cooking technique gives you tender, fall-off-the-bone meat with little to no effort and plenty of rendered fat to baste the ribs before you sauce them up. If you’re feeding a crowd, you can make the ribs ahead of time and broil them before serving. That’ll give you time to prepare a green salad or mango slaw for sides. The extra sauce keeps well in the fridge for two weeks or in the freezer for three months. Stash it away for a rainy day or you can double the amount of ribs for a larger serving -- that’s if you don’t eat them all before your guests arrive.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 2pounds pork or beef ribs, membrane removed
- Salt and pepper
- 8ounces guava paste, cubed
- ¼cup tomato paste
- ¼cup apple cider vinegar
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- 3tablespoons lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes)
- 1tablespoon soy sauce
- 1tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½tablespoon ground ginger
- ½tablespoon onion powder
- 1teaspoon ground cayenne
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 275 degrees and season both sides of the ribs generously with salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty foil, place the ribs rounded-side up on the sheet then tightly wrap foil over the top of the pan, completely sealing the ribs inside. Cook until the meat is tender and nearly falling off the bone without much resistance, about 3 hours.Step 2
While the ribs cook, combine the guava paste, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, paprika, ginger, onion powder, cayenne and 1/4 cup water in a large, deep pot. (The sauce is prone to splattering.) Bring to a boil on high while whisking the ingredients. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook, whisking periodically, for about 10 minutes so the flavors meld. Taste for salt and pepper. (The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 3 months.)Step 3
When the ribs have finished cooking, remove the foil and brush with some of the rendered fat from the pan, then brush generously with the guava barbeque sauce on both sides. Set the oven to broil. Return the ribs to the oven and broil them on the top rack for 5 to 7 minutes per side, until the sauce is caramelized and browned in spots. Cut into pieces and serve with some extra sauce on the side, if you like.