Pork Ribs
Ingredients
3 pork ribs with plenty of meat
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil (or a mix of extra-virgin and regular/vegetable oil)
100 gm bacon trimmings or smoked bacon ends
½ fennel bulb, cut into large dice
1 carrot, cut into chunks
1 celery (including celery tops), cut into chunks
1 onion, cut into chunks
Pinch dried chilli
3 cloves garlic
1 bay leaves
Sprig fresh thyme
Red capsicum, chopped
¼ wombok or green cabbage, chopped
Flour (for thickening)
1 cup sauerkraut
2 Tablespoons mustard (French grain mustard or any mustard you have)
Pickled hot peppers
600ml apple cider
200ml white wine
Optional: smoked paprika, marjoram, dried oregano, or any pantry herbs/spices you have
Method
Season the pork ribs generously with salt and pepper. Heat a pan until very hot, then place the ribs in skin-side down to render the fat. Add a drizzle of olive oil if needed and brown the ribs well on all sides. Remove them and place them in a baking tray.
In the same pan, add the bacon ends and let them render to release their smoky fat. Add the chopped carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and bay leaves, stirring to coat everything in the bacon fat. Add red capsicum and cabbage, cooking until lightly softened. Sprinkle in a little flour to help thicken the sauce later. Add thyme and any dried herbs or spices you want to use.
Stir in a spoonful of mustard and add sauerkraut. Mix well so the flavours begin to blend. Add the pickled peppers. Pour in apple cider and bring it to a simmer. Add any leftover white wine you have and continue cooking until the vegetables soften slightly and the liquid reduces a little.
Pour the vegetable mixture and its liquid over the browned pork ribs. Cover the tray with a sheet of baking paper and then foil. Cook in a 180°C oven for about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the ribs are tender and the bones begin to loosen from the meat.
Remove from the oven and plate the pork with the vegetables, sauerkraut, and reduced cooking juices spooned over the top. The ribs should pull apart easily, with a rich mustard-and-sauerkraut flavour that tastes far more expensive than it is.
