Asian Ribs — The Celebration Dinner That Said Everything Words Couldn’t

I received my first vaccine dose on Thursday. The shot was administered in the gymnasium of a high school in Rockville Centre — not my high school, a different one, but a gymnasium is a gymnasium, and the irony of receiving a lifesaving injection in a room designed for dodgeball was not lost on me. I sat in the observation area for fifteen minutes afterward, as instructed, and I looked at the other people sitting in their folding chairs — other teachers, other seniors, other caregivers — and we were all quiet, all processing the same thing: the needle went in, the vaccine went in, the bridge is being built. I felt nothing. Not the shot — the shot felt like a shot, a pinch, nothing — but the meaning of it, the significance, the fact that this small needle was the difference between this life and the life I want back. I will feel it later. For now, I sit in the folding chair and I wait my fifteen minutes and I drive home and I make dinner.

Marvin does not understand the vaccine. I explained it to him and he said, "That's good," which is his response to most information now — a cheerful, content, non-specific acknowledgment that something has happened and that it is probably fine. I kissed his forehead when I got home, which I have not done since March because I was afraid of giving him something that would kill him, and the kiss was not a grand gesture, it was a small one, a reintroduction of intimacy that I had not realized I had been rationing. The kiss was on his forehead and he smiled and said, "Hello, Ruth," and the "hello" was like a door opening, the door between quarantine and after, and I walked through it, even if after hasn't arrived yet, even if the door is only slightly ajar.

I made a celebratory dinner — brisket, because what else, brisket is my language for every occasion — and I ate it with Marvin and the brisket was perfect and I was vaccinated and the world was still broken but slightly less broken, and slightly less broken is a direction, and a direction is enough.

Brisket was my first instinct, as it always is, but I had ribs in the refrigerator that had been waiting all week, and something about the long, slow cook of these Asian-spiced ribs felt right for a day that had asked me to be patient—to sit in a folding chair, to wait fifteen minutes, to trust that the small things accumulate into something. The soy and ginger and low heat do the same work: nothing dramatic, nothing instant, just time and warmth turning something ordinary into something worth sitting down for. Marvin had two helpings.

Asian Ribs

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours 45 minutes | Total Time: 3 hours | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 lbs pork spare ribs, membrane removed, cut into serving portions
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

1. Make the marinade. Whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, five-spice powder, and red pepper flakes (if using) in a bowl until the sugar dissolves.
2. Marinate the ribs. Place the ribs in a large zip-top bag or baking dish and pour the marinade over them. Turn to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight for deeper flavor.
3. Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 300°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack on top.
4. Arrange and cover. Remove the ribs from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Lay the ribs bone-side down on the rack. Pour 1/2 cup water into the bottom of the pan and tent tightly with foil.
5. Slow-roast. Bake covered for 2 hours, until the meat is tender and beginning to pull from the bones.
6. Reduce the glaze. While the ribs roast, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer 8—10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and syrupy. Set aside.
7. Glaze and finish. Uncover the ribs, raise the oven temperature to 425°F, and brush the ribs generously with the reduced glaze. Return to oven uncovered for 15—20 minutes, glazing once more halfway through, until caramelized and deeply colored.
8. Rest and serve. Let the ribs rest 5 minutes before plating. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 530 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 37g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 910mg