Sunday, March 29, 2009

Pork Rib Tips: Asian Pork Tip BBQ

While I was at Wal-Mart, I picked up some pork rib tips for $1.07 per pound. You ask what are "Pork Rib Tips"? Well, rib tips are actually the very end (underside) of a rack of ribs. When a rack is trimmed to make St. Louis style ribs there is a thin strip of rib ends (or tips) left behind. It is a very cheap cut of meat, but it can be very useful when feeding a lot of people inexpensively. In the past, the rib tips are often got thrown out. Now you can buy them in many stores and they are becoming much more popular. They are typically meaty and flavorful so they make a great dish, no matter the occasion.

One of my favorite ways of preparing them is to use a Chinese barbecue recipe. Here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients
6 pounds pork rib tips
1/2 cup sake (or light wine like Pinot Blanc)
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons Chinese 5 spice
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 batch Hoisin barbecue sauce

Hoisin Barbecue Sauce
8 ounces orange marmalade
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
4 ounces Hoisin sauce (soy bean sauce used for Peking duck and Mu-Shu pork)
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce (spicy chili sauce)
Salt and pepper to taste


Oven Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the rib tips into about 6 inch long strips (they don’t have to be exact).
Place the tips in a bowl and cover with all of the ingredients but the barbecue sauce.
Roll the pork over in the ingredients to get them to spread evenly.
Refrigerate this mixture for about 30 minutes.
Spread the pork out on a lightly greased sheet pan, only one layer deep. Roast at 400 degrees, turning occasionally until fork tender (about 45 minutes).
Remove the ribs from the oven and place them on some paper towels to absorb some of the grease.
Place the rib portions in a bowl and toss with warm sauce.

Grill Directions
Heat grill or pit to 400.
Do not cut up the ribs.
Marinade the ribs in the above ingredients in a glass container or roasting pan.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.
Place the pork on the grill for about 5 minutes per side to sear in the juices and give it a smokey taste.
Back down the temperature of the grill to about 225-250 degrees. NO HIGHER!
Cook for about 90 minutes. Check temperature after about an hour. When you start to get to 160 degrees, you are almost there.
Once you are close to complete, reserve half of the sauce for the table and use the other to baste on to the ribs. Bring up the grill temperature to 400 degrees to allow the marinade to caramelize on the ribs.

For the barbecue sauce, put all of the ingredients in a non-reactive pot and slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Taste to adjust seasoning and it is ready to use.

You can toss some sesame seeds and sprinkle them on top along with thinly sliced green onions.

Serves 8

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