Ribs with an extra kick!
Smoky Luscious Dry Ribs
When I was little, back home in a small town in Iloilo, Philippines, our family celebrated our town's
fiesta. Where we cooked food and shared it with the people we knew and cherished. My grandfather
always made his special pork ribs for the community. Everyone wanted to take a bite because they
were always fresh from the stove and because of the unique flavour. We mix our culture and turn the
traditional ribs into saucy delectable goodness, marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and a bunch of spices
to give that extra kick. People would come to our house and even begged my grandfather for the secret recipe, went so far
as giving him gifts and money, but he always decline their offers.
always decline their offer.
Filipino Style Touch
These juicy ribs are a perfect meal to bring to any celebration; birthdays, graduations, you
name it all. They are a delicious meal with many flavours and meat so tender, it just peels
from the bone smoothly. When taking a bite out of this dish,
you’ll be met with a bunch of spices such as a hint of garlic to bring out the meat’s
sweetness, the suka (Filipino vinegar), a drop of calamnsi juice for that sour kick, etc.
It's a universal dish where one can add sugar to it for that extra sweetness to it. and lots
of Soy sauce til your liking for that brownish color. And it's also recommended to marinate it for at least four hours or more.
These ribs are made with care and love, we Filipinos truly love making food because it
brings communities together as one that signifies the culture of the Philippines.
The Origin of Dry Ribs
Pork ribs are a signature dish in America. In ancient times, an open flame was a common culinary practice. Special spices and herbs were used to strengthen the flavour of the meat and marinating it for a long period was a popular technique to tenderise the delicacy. These methods can be found today as the recipe expands to different ways of cooking the dish. They have been the primary meal in traditional feasts and celebrations for centuries, symbolising good fortune. It also plays a role other than being food for people, it can be a role for entertainment as it is used for storytelling and folklore within communities. This emphasises the value of the loved cuisine in various cultural contexts.In 1948, Charles Vergos invented the Memphis-style
“dry” ribs. Memphis-style means the meat is being cooked slowly in a pit and can be prepared
dry or wet. The dry ribs are prepared with vinegar and a bunch of spices and herbs to
flavour the dish. However, In the Philippines. The history of this dish can be looked back
to the early settlers of the Philippines and their island neighbours, the Malays and
Indonesian traders teaching them their ways of cooking. One of the methods that Filipinos
used is “Inihaw” which translates to grilled,
this method was composed of cooking the meat over an open fire using bamboo sticks. As time
progresses, the technique has been passed down from generation to generation, where
different families add their methods and recipes to the beloved dish.
Best Side Dishes and Drinks for Dry Ribs
Side dishes are crucial to any main dish because they add variety and improve the dining experience.
Here are a few side dishes that go perfectly for dry ribs; Coleslaw is a good source of fiber and a
good contrast of sweet to complement the savoury taste of the ribs. Classic mashed potatoes would
also be a good choice because it’s rich and creamy that pair well with meat, you could never go
wrong with it. But I like mine with white rice because it’s a good source of fuel for the body and
an essential side dish for any dish. It can be considered healthy because the meat is generally rich
in protein and the rice is rich in carbohydrates, these two go well perfectly for a hearty fullfilling meal
because the body needs a lot of fuel to operate at its best.
