Cook 3-in-1 Pork Ribs and Save Time
Edited by Nerissa Avisado, Eng, Lynn, VC and 1 other
There is a proliferation of Quick Service Restaurants (QRTs) today because traffic and travel demand so much from people, everybody is so busy, and a lot of people simply cannot manage to cook their meals daily. Take-out has become a common word in many households, along with microwave dinners, and instant food from cans and boxes. Even plain and simple oatmeal now comes in packets that take all of one minute to cook. People who love to cook still find themselves cooking less because they don't have time.
One of the best ways to save on time is to cook in bulk, and have enough not just for one, but for several meals. However, let's face it, after you've had the same dish twice, eating it for a third or a fourth time holds little or no appeal. What usually happens is you let the "leftovers" stay in the refrigerator for a few days until you finally have to get rid of them and put them in the trash.
Often it boils down to deciding which is the lesser evil: Buying fast food one meal at a time, preparing quantities of food and throwing out leftovers, or making a couple of home cooked meals whenever possible, and getting some form of convenience food for the rest of the week's meals. This dilemma can be avoided if you can cook in bulk, but you can get three distinctly different dishes in one fell swoop. One of the ways you can do this is to follow the recipe for 3-in-1 pork ribs.
With this recipe you will get three totally different dishes, so that you and your family won't get bored and fall into the trap of resorting to fast foods. Each of the resulting rib dishes comes with suggested entrees so you can enjoy complete menus to enjoy with your family and friends.
Getting Ready for your 3-in-1 Ribs...
The secret of cooking this rib recipe is to get the main cooking done and to just finish with the recipe requirements before you eat. You will need a big pot to do your cooking, and containers to store the ribs in after they are done.
Ingredients for the Common Pot:
- 6-7 pounds pork ribs cut in 4 ½ inch pieces
- 1 cup white vinegar
- Salt and pepper
- 3 cups water
- 1 whole onion, minced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
Procedure for cooking the large, common pot...
- 1In a large pot, mix 1 cup white vinegar, salt and pepper, 3 cups water, the minced onion, and the garlic.
- 2Layer the ribs in the pot, making sure they will be easy to remove when cooked.
- 3Cook, covered, on medium-low fire for half an hour.
- 4Test to see if the top layer is cooked, but not soft.
- 5There should be resistance when you poke it with a fork.Continue cooking on low fire for another 15 minutes or until the top layer is cooked but not soft.
- 6You will be cooking one part in a casserole, and the other two portions in baking pans.Cool and divide into three parts.
Ingredients for the Ribs in Orange Sauce
- 1/3 cup orange marmalade
- 2 tablespoons peach or apricot jam
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon rind
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 navel oranges, sliced into half-inch rounds
Procedure for Cooking the Orange Ribs
- 1Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- 2Whisk together until well combined.Combine orange marmalade, peach or apricot jam, orange juice, lemon rind, and soy sauce.
- 3Divide the mixture into two, and add the oil to one part.
- 4Arrange the orange halves on the bottom of the pan.
- 5Lay the ribs over the orange slices,
- 6Pour mixture (the half without oil) over the ribs.
- 7Bake at 375-400 until soft, basting every 10 minutes.
- 8To baste, use the half of the mixture that has oil.
- 9When the ribs are just about done, increase heat to 450.
What to serve with the Orange Ribs: Serve the orange ribs with wild rice, a cucumber salad with vinaigrette dressing, and some vanilla wafers stuck in half a scoop of ice-cream.
Ingredients for the Barbecued Garlic Lemon Ribs
- ¼ to 1/3 cup brown sugar (depends on how sweet you like your food)
- ½ teaspoon hickory smoke salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup of your favorite smoke-flavored barbecue sauce
Procedure for Cooking Barbecued Lemon Garlic Ribs
- 1Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- 2Combine lemon juice and garlic, and spread over the ribs.
- 3Mix together the sugar and spices (first three ingredients) to make the rub.
- 4Arrange ribs on two layers of foil, placing the meaty side down.
- 5Cover the ribs with two layers of foil and seal all around the edges by crimping tightly.
- 6Allow the foil packet to cool until cold enough to handle.Bake for 1 hour and test for softness.
- 7Slather with your favorite smoke flavored barbecue sauce.Remove from oven if done.
- 8Broil for 3 minutes, baste again and then broil for 2 more minutes.
What to serve with the Barbecued Lemon Garlic Ribs: You can have a really fun meal by serving this with corn on the cob, roasted green beans, and watermelon. You can substitute the corn with baked potatoes and cook the potatoes with the ribs. You can do the same with the beans, too. Just sprinkle some salt over the beans, drizzle oil over them and pop them into the oven with the ribs.
Ingredients for the Mediterranean Ribs
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion-finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
- 1 carrot chopped into medium size pieces
- 1/2 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 3-4 black olives, sliced
- ½ cup water
- 1 bell pepper
- ½ cup of red wine
- 2 ribs of celery-chopped
- 1 small sprig of rosemary
- 1 small sprig of thyme
- 1 small bay leaf
Procedure for Cooking the Mediterranean Style Ribs
- 1Sauté onions and garlic over medium heat.
- 2Add tomato paste, stir and cook until caramelized.
- 3Add diced tomatoes, let simmer.
- 4Simmer for 30 minutes or until almost soft.Add ribs and water.
- 5Add all red wine, herbs, olives, and vegetables, and continue simmering until soft.
What to serve with the Mediterranean Ribs: Serve ribs with flat bread, eggplant salad, and fruits in yogurt. You can also serve pasta with this dish.
Tips, Tricks and Warnings:
- The vinegar in the large pot of ingredients acts as a preservative. It is assumed you are not going to eat all the ribs the day you cook them. The vinegar will help keep the food good.
- Store the ribs safely. Once the dishes have cooled, decide which ones you will eat first. Pack the rest in covered, clean dry plastic or glass containers.
- Place only the foods you will eat within a day or two in the refrigerator. The dishes you will eat much later should go in the freezer.
- Label your containers. The labels will make the food easy to identify and will remind you that you still have some goodies waiting.
- Try this dish also with chicken leg quarters. All three dishes will work well with chicken leg quarters.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
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Article Info
Categories : Meats & Main Dishes
Recent edits by: VC, Lynn, Eng
