There are plenty of recipes for ribs out there, but few as easy as this. It's based on a hugh fernleigh whittingstall recipe, and is surprisingly simple, making use of some store cupboard staples you'll find in even the studentiest of student cupboards. You can can get hold of packs of ribs in supermarkets like Sainsbury's easily enough these days, so even that shouldn't pose too much trouble. The fiddly bit is stripping the ribs of the membrane lining the inside, but from there on it's plain sailing
Preparing the ribs
The inside of the ribs are lined by a tough membrane (which we geeky medics realised is actually the parietal pleura which lines the lung cavity). This is quite tricky the first time, but you get better.
To do this, turn the ribs curved side facing down onto a chopping board. Find the edge of the lining membrane - you may need a knife to pick an edge free. Then, grab the edge of the membrane (I found hat using kitchen roll helps to get a good grip - look at the picture below) and peel it away from the ribs like sellotape.
The marinade
Enough for at least 2 racks of ribs
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp English mustard
2 tsp smoked paprika
4 tbsp ketchup
4 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. (Keep about a third of the marinade aside to baste the ribs as the cook.)
Stick the ribs is a snug fitting dish that can go in the oven. Rub the marinade all over the ribs and refrigerate for a few hours. You could turn it over half way through to try to make sure all bits are getting a bit of marinade action.
The roasting
Heat the oven to 150C and take the ribs out of the fridge to come to rom temp. Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven to cook gently for about 2 hours. Baste the ribs by spreading some more of the marinade during the cooking time.
After 2 hours, turn the heat up to about 200C and rub the last of the marinade over the ribs. Put them back in with the foil off and cook until it goes brown and sticky!
Serve with some slaw and corn on the cob. You could even have a go at making some cornbread like our friend Jenny did!
Preparing the ribs
The inside of the ribs are lined by a tough membrane (which we geeky medics realised is actually the parietal pleura which lines the lung cavity). This is quite tricky the first time, but you get better.
To do this, turn the ribs curved side facing down onto a chopping board. Find the edge of the lining membrane - you may need a knife to pick an edge free. Then, grab the edge of the membrane (I found hat using kitchen roll helps to get a good grip - look at the picture below) and peel it away from the ribs like sellotape.
The marinade
Enough for at least 2 racks of ribs
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp English mustard
2 tsp smoked paprika
4 tbsp ketchup
4 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. (Keep about a third of the marinade aside to baste the ribs as the cook.)
Stick the ribs is a snug fitting dish that can go in the oven. Rub the marinade all over the ribs and refrigerate for a few hours. You could turn it over half way through to try to make sure all bits are getting a bit of marinade action.
The roasting
Heat the oven to 150C and take the ribs out of the fridge to come to rom temp. Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven to cook gently for about 2 hours. Baste the ribs by spreading some more of the marinade during the cooking time.
After 2 hours, turn the heat up to about 200C and rub the last of the marinade over the ribs. Put them back in with the foil off and cook until it goes brown and sticky!
Serve with some slaw and corn on the cob. You could even have a go at making some cornbread like our friend Jenny did!