Braised Country Style Pork Ribs...mmm mmm

Braised Country Style Pork Ribs
by Laura

This Christmas my Mom and Dad gave me a beautiful dutch oven, which I absolutely love.  It's so convenient to move from the stove right into the oven without worries of using the wrong pan.  Because I got this new pan, I've been finding recipes just for it.

I happened upon a new episode of 10 Dollar Dinners (Melissa De'Arabian's show on the food network) and she was using the dutch oven to make these ribs.  On the show, she mentioned that country style pork ribs were nearly always on sale and if they were cooked low and slow, they were destined to turn out perfectly.  The ingredients in the recipe were simple; carrots, onions and a few other things, so I decided to try it, and guess what?  The ribs were on sale that same week and they were delectable indeed.

Oh, and by the way, don't freak out when you see the cooking time (4 hours!). On the episode in which Melissa made the ribs, she also made polenta, which took 4 hours.  I opted for corn casserole, which is a delicious choice as well.

And so the process began...

 So, here are the ribs that happened to be on sale at the perfect time. (Another raw meat shot by yours truly.)

 Browning the ribs in the ole dutch oven.

 Here are the tasty and cost effective vegetables found in the recipe: carrots, celery, and onions.  

How easy is that?

 A little garlic to give it some flavor flave. 

 Tomato paste stirred right in...

 And some chicken stock almost covering the meat. 

 Into the oven it goes.

 Two treats in the oven.  The smell was overwhelmingly good.  Can't wait!

 And here are the finished products.  The ribs aren't pretty, but that doesn't mean they didn't taste fantastic.

Corn-pone casserole (as my mother would say!)

Finished product...once again, I might add that it doesn't look the best, but the flavors are fantastico.  Pretty impressive with so few ingredients.

Check them out below.

Braised Country Style Pork Ribs

Recipe from Melissa d'Arabian of the Food Network

Ingredients

• 3 pounds bone-in country-style pork ribs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• Creamy Polenta, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pat the ribs dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the ribs on all sides, working in batches if needed. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, to remove the raw flavor, about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, and then add the red pepper flakes and bay leaves.

Add the ribs back to the pan and add enough stock to reach halfway up the sides of the ribs. Bring the pan to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven. Braise until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last half hour, uncover to allow the liquid to reduce and the pork to brown.

Serve the ribs with Creamy Polenta, spooning the sauce on top, and garnishing with parsley.

Creamy Polenta:

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/3 cups half-and-half, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/3 cup coarse polenta, or corn grits
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• Special Equipment: slow cooker

Spray the insert of a slow cooker with cooking spray (for easier clean up) and preheat on high.

In a medium saucepan, add the milk, 1 cup half-and-half, 1 tablespoon butter, and polenta. Season with salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly to keep the mixture lump-free. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring once or twice per hour. Once you are ready to serve, open the slow cooker and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, remaining 1/3 cup half-and-half, and Parmesan. Salt and pepper conservatively since the polenta will be served with a robustly salted dish.