Pork Ribs Adobo

A good-tasting fruit vinegar can be the cooking medium for an entire dish. For these ribs, adobo, the vinegar-laced national dish of the Philippines, is a delight.

Ingredients

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar, preferably organic and unfiltered
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3 small bay leaves
• 1 large jalapeño chili, stemmed and roughly chopped
• 1 side baby-back pork ribs (about 2 pounds), cut into individual ribs
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• Cooked rice

4 servings

Preparation

1. In a bowl, combine vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves and chili and set aside.
2. Season ribs with 1 teaspoon salt. Using a mortar and pestle or small food processor, grind remaining teaspoon salt, garlic and peppercorns to a rough paste. Rub paste into ribs and transfer to resealable plastic bag. Pour in vinegar mixture, seal and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight, turning occasionally.
3. Transfer ribs and marinade to a pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 hour, until meat is tender. Remove ribs to a baking sheet and simmer sauce until thick.
4. Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Pour 1/4 cup of thickened sauce over ribs, turn to coat, and broil until nicely browned, about 7 minutes, turning once. Serve with remaining sauce and rice.

1 hour 30 minutes