Chinese-Style Ribs

Snowstorm Tuesday. Two feet. The county plowed by Wednesday afternoon. Three days of farrier work. Two ranches in the county. Eleven horses. The body is tired in the right way.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods. Tuesday meeting in Roundup. Eight regulars. Three vets. I do not lead. I show up.

Cowboy beans on the fire Saturday. Pinto, bacon, onion, ancho. Slow simmer.

I sat on the porch with coffee Sunday morning before chores. The mountains were the mountains.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

The cowboy beans happened Saturday because that’s what the week called for—something you put on the fire and forget about while you’re out replacing fence posts and listening to Mr. Whelan tell a story from 1979. These ribs work the same way. You get them going, you do your work, and when you come in with grease on your hands and the dog still apologizing to the chickens, supper is ready. That’s all I need from a recipe after a week like this one.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 min | Total Time: 2 hrs 45 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 lbs pork spare ribs or baby back ribs, cut into individual ribs
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 green onions, sliced, for garnish
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

Mix the marinade. In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, five-spice powder, and red pepper flakes until well combined.
Marinate the ribs. Place ribs in a large zip-top bag or baking dish. Pour marinade over ribs and turn to coat evenly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight for best flavor.
Preheat and prep. Heat oven to 325°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Arrange ribs on the rack in a single layer, reserving the marinade.
Slow roast. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 1 hour 45 minutes, until the meat is tender and beginning to pull from the bone.
Glaze and finish. Remove foil. Pour reserved marinade into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Brush ribs generously with glaze. Increase oven to 425°F and roast uncovered for 20–25 minutes, basting once more halfway through, until ribs are caramelized and sticky.
Rest and serve. Let ribs rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chinese-Style Ribs — What You Cook When the Week Finally Lets You Breathe