I love to make jam and I love all things porky so when I was searching for how to prepare baby back ribs for New Year’s Eve, I was delighted to find a recipe online that combined two of my loves Apricot and Rosemary Oven Ribs .
While Ms. Saretsky’s recipe couldn’t be easier. I took liberties with both ingredients and cooking method, using Ms. Saretsky’s recipe as a template as I often do.
I have to say, the ribs, cooked low and slow in the oven and then glazed and baked for a short while at a higher heat were phenomenal. Tangy, sweet, lightly sour, tender and delicious. Falling off the bone easily with a gentle tug between the teeth. We are going to love tucking into them as leftovers.
Apricot and Rosemary Oven Ribs
6 pounds pork baby back ribs cut into single ribs
2 cups apricot jam
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
4-5 sprigs of rosemary
1/3 cup olive oil
10 cloves of smashed garlic
generous pinch of kosher salt and freshly grated black pepper
Mix all marinade ingredients and pour over ribs in a large, deep bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
Spread ribs out on to one or two 9 x 13″ baking dishes. I used two to give my ribs room. Evenly distribute the remaining marinade, cover the ribs with foil, pop them in the oven and ignore them for the next 2 hours. At 2 hours check the ribs for tenderness. I let mine go 30 minutes more at which point I removed the ribs from the oven and poured off and discarded all of the accumulated juices. Trust me, it was mostly fat. A lot of fat.
Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Put the ribs back in the baking dishes and brush generously with an additional 1 cup of apricot jam.
Pop the ribs back in the oven, uncovered for 15-20 minutes more, just until the jam thickens up and the ribs start to get sticky.
I worried that all of the jam would make the ribs too sweet but since I was using homemade jam and I tend to make low sugar jams, it wasn’t a problem. The sweetness of the jam is balanced by the tang of the vinegar and the garlic.
So, so good.
Porky deliciousness
Sweetly Tart 