Publican Pork Country Ribs With Watermelon and Sungold Salad
4-6
servings
Main
Course
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
1 tbsp
sambal
½ c
grated palm sugar
4
sprigs cilantro
½
yellow onion, sliced
1
(2-inch) piece of ginger, minced
6
cloves garlic, minced
½ c
soy sauce
3
scallions, thinly sliced
¼ c
rice wine vinegar
1 tsp
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp
sesame oil
3 lb
pork ribs, with or without ribs (you want a good mix of meat and fat)
2 tbsp
Chinese mustard
Watermelon and Sungold Salad
1 lg
shallot
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp
green coriander seeds
⅓ c
champagne vinegar
2½ tbsp
honey
1 c
olive oil
1½ c
watermelon, or any other seasonal melon, cut into 1-inch cubes
1½ c
sungold tomatoes, halved
Chopped cilantro
This recipe for pork ribs is one of the Publican’s mainstays: tender, caramelized ribs with a crisp, light salad on the side. Chef Paul Kahan has mastered it with years and years of practice.
Directions
- Combine the sambal, palm sugar, cilantro, onion, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, scallions, vinegar, pepper, and sesame oil. Put two thirds of the marinade into a resealable plastic bag and reserve the remaining one third in a separate container.
- Slather the ribs in the mustard, then submerge them in the marinade in the resealable bag. Let them marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or as long as overnight.
- Build a fire on one side of a charcoal grill and let it burn down to embers.
- Start the ribs on the hot part of the grill—you’re really trying to get a char, so you want to brown and even burn any fat on there. Cook for about 1 1∕2 minutes, flip, then dip the ribs back in the marinade. Put them back on the grill and repeat three more times, so the ribs cook for about 12 minutes total.
- Serve with the Watermelon and Sungold Salad and sharp knives.
Watermelon and Sungold Salad
- Mince the shallot and work in the salt and pepper to make 1∕4 cup haché. Note: Haché is the French word for “minced,” and it refers to a technique that we use for all our vinaigrettes. It’s when you mince a shallot, add a pinch of salt and pepper, run your knife back through it, then use the side of your knife to mash it all into a paste. This not only ensures that your shallot will be minced really well, but it’s also extra insurance that your salad will be well seasoned, since salt added after a vinaigrette is made doesn’t always dissolve.
- Add the green coriander seeds to the haché. shallot and run your knife through it a couple more times. Transfer the paste to a bowl and whisk in the champagne vinegar, followed by the honey. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while you whisk until you get the right acidity and the dressing is emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more vinegar, honey, salt, or pepper if necessary.
- In a large bowl, season the watermelon and tomatoes with salt and pepper and dress with about 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, making sure you scoop out some of the solids (the shallot and coriander seeds) and add them, too. Taste, adjust the seasoning if necessary or add more vinaigrette, then dump the lot over the ribs and garnish with cilantro.
Reprinted from Cheers to the Publican, Repast and Present. Copyright © 2017 by Paul Kahan, Cosmo Goss and Rachel Holtzman. Published by Lorena Jones Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.
