Friday, March 12, 2010

Recipe # 50 - Stirring the Pot: Country Spare Ribs and Mustard Greens Braised in Apple Cider


I took a very long break in my quest to cook through Tyler Florence's Stirring the Pot. In fact, the last recipe I made from the book was back in mid-November. Feeling guilty, I dug out my rather beaten up copy of Stirring the Pot and resolved to get started again. With the onset of spring, I wanted to try and bang out some of the wintery dishes before the weather convinced me otherwise. Within the next week or so I will be bringing you some of Tyler's more heartier dishes, both this recipe for Country Spare Ribs and Mustard Greens Braised in Apple Cider AND Slow-Roasted Beef Ribs with Mushroom Stroganoff. Spring has already come to Kentucky, but I know it won't hurt my husband's feelings to eat such hearty and meaty meals.

Getting back into the kitchen with Tyler means a few things. First of all, it means searching for hard to find ingredients. Some of you are lucky to live in large cities with wonderful and bountiful grocery stores. I'm not so lucky. For me, this means a trip to Lexington and running around to different stores. For example, there are no beef short ribs or 4-pound pork rib roasts here in Georgetown. So, I hightailed it to the butcher in Lexington and was able to get both cuts of meat. The pork rib roast is really 4 thick pork chops attached to the bone in a roast-style. I've never cooked the pork rib roast before, so I was excited to get started.

The other part about getting back into the kitchen with Tyler is dirty dishes, lots of dirty dishes. I really love Tyler and his recipes, but I'm not excited about the prospect of doing tons and tons of dishes. There is really nothing more daunting in the kitchen than a sink overflowing with dirty dishes.

The pork rib roast was really easy to prepare and really only required a small amount of looking after. The pork is braised for a total of three hours, largely unattended, save for the every half hour when you baste. The pork, which Tyler refers to as country spare ribs is braised in apple juice, apple cider vinegar, mustard greens, garlic and thyme for 2 and a half hours covered, basting every half hour. After two and a half hours, the cover is removed and the meat is cooked until the surface caramelizes and the liquid reduces. A gravy is made by squeezing the garlic pulp into a blender along with the juices from the braising liquid. The pork is served on top of the greens and mashed potatoes. The recipe can be found HERE on Tyler's blog.


Notes/Results: I'm really glad this recipe pushed me to buy and cook with the pork rib roast. I really liked this cut of meat. I have to say that I wasn't too crazy about Tyler's recipe though. Even though the meat was braised and the directions were followed to the letter, the pork ended up overcooked and dry. Also, in Tyler's book, the pork has a glossy sheen to it, almost like it is covered in a barbecue sauce. My pork never got that caramelized, nor did the sauce look like a barbecue sauce. Not sure what happened there. I will buy this cut of meat again, but will probably braise it in a different liquid or coat the pork in some more savory seasonings. Neither me or my husband cared much for the sweetness that the apple juice lent to the pork. The pictures didn't turn out too well. The pork was rather pale looking and so were the mashed potatoes. The braising liquid, which was pureed, was also on the clear side, which didn't really add any color to the dish.


Overall, it was a learning experience. I was pretty sure I would love this cut of meat and I was right. I never like it when a recipe doesn't work out, but I do like learning about what would work. I'll chalk it up to a learning experience.

28 comments:

  1. I've heard of country style ribs before (cut from the shoulder, not actually ribs) and love those. And I like a good pork rib roast. Never hear them called country spare ribs before though.

    Sorry it didn't turn out as good as you had hoped, but it looks good.

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  2. Kim, I know it did not turn out as you would have hoped but, it looks good. That is the beauty of cooking some dishes are successful and others are just not. I am sure it does not change your mind about Tyler Florence :-)

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  3. looks amazing and good for you for pushing yourself thats how we learn LOL

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  4. I hate when a recipe doesn't turn out like I'd hoped it would. And I hear you about Tyler and his dishes and pots and pans!

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  5. Kim, I have that cookbook too and now I'm not sure if I want to try that recipe or forget it ;o . I have cooked a few of his recipes and they have always turned out delicious. Now I am sceptical of this one. Although I agree your finished photo looks great. Maybe I will go ahead and brave it. I'll have to let you know.

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  6. I don't think I've ever cooked with a roast like that either. Looks like it was well worth the effort.

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  7. I'm glad that you were able to try something new! That's always fun!

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  8. Sorry the recipe was a disappointment. Especially since you went all out to get the proper ingredients. I've too have cooked country ribs before and they were much different from yours.
    Mimi

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  9. Bummer it didn't turn out like you wanted--so frustrating! Hopefully the beef ribs with the mushroom stroganoff will be better. And learning something new is always good in my book. ;-)

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  10. I'm so sorry that this was dry. It's a wonderful cut of meat, and can be really juicy and tender. Sometimes I think it's as much the butcher as the recipe or the cook, though.

    In Italy we took this cut of meat, cut the bones off and roasted it on top of the bones (using the bones as a roasting rack). It was laced with garlic and herbs and roasted.

    I hope the next one will be better! Thanks for posting this.

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  11. Beautifully done! Your hubby is a lucky man to have these delicious dinners.
    *kisses* HH

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  12. I bet this would be infinitely better cooked in the crockpot...then you're guaranteed to get pull-apart juicey chunks of meat.

    The interesting thing about cooking through a cookbook is that you're obviously not going to love everything (case in point: fennel salad) since you're "forced" to make things you probably wouldn't have tried otherwise. Thanks for being honest!

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  13. Tyler's really showing his Southern roots in this one. Sorry it wasn't a winner for you, but at least you discovered a cut of meat you'd like to try again. I'm not sure if I would have been wowed by this either--I'm not big on sweetness w/ meat. Hope it didn't take too long to do the dishes ;)

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  14. I love the way you Frenched the pork rib roast. It looks beautiful. It's always a disappointment when things don't turn out the way we hoped. I always brine pork before cooking. I've found it helps a lot. Thanks for your honesty about the recipe.

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  15. Well doggonnit! Tyler is almost fool-proof. What a bummer that it didn't turn out right...but now you have me intrigued with that cut of meat. Pork is tricky, isn't it? I should revisit more of Tyler's recipes. I sure miss Tyler Florence Fridays!

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  16. I've had similar expierinces with food net work recipes actually I find if I tweak the recipe or put a spin on it they seem to turn out better. But I do love Tyler's cooking for sure:)

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  17. From the pictures it really does look yummy. So sorry you didn't like it :(

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  18. Oh darn! I hate when that happens. I'm sorry the pork turned out dry. Your pictures look really yummy!!

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  19. This looks mouth watering! I've heard of country pork ribs but never had them. Also, I love mustard greens.

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  20. You are brave to try a new cut of meat, I have actually never cooked with a pork rib roast and I think I am going to have to give it a try now. Dry pork is the worst, but making all of his recipes is part of your adventure and people enjoy reading about that, even if it doesn't turn our perfect every time :)

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  21. I think it looks pretty good :)
    You have inspired me to give that cut of meat a try, it's always seemed a little intimidating for some reason :)

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  22. You made it look delicious and I love your honesty in the recipes you post!

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  23. Sometimes I feel someone edits the recipes on foodnetwork and its not the chefs. This still looks delicious and learning experiences in the kitchen will make you an even more amazing cook...except you are amazing already, so it would be super-amazing! :)

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  24. I love and look forward to your honest appraisals of a new recipe. I don't really know Tyler Forence (I know - I love to cook and never watch Food Network)so it is fun to experience with you. But the roast is a grand cut of meat! That was a fun discovery!

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  25. I'm sorry it didn't turn out so well after all your work and special shopping trip. That's always a disappointment. It looks like a really nice comfort meal! And I'm so impressed that your up to 50 recipes!

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  26. This pork rib roast looks amazing! I bet everyone was pleased to sink their teeth into it!

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  27. Tyler ’s recipe sounds good but I know what you mean about the taste not appealing to you or your husband. When you put time into a recipe (not to mention the damn dishes!) it’s always disappointing when the meal isn’t da bomb! But that’s how we learn girlfriend

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