I hit the jackpot at my favorite grocery store recently. I must’ve gotten there right after they marked down the meat. I bought beef, chicken and pork at a deep discount. Score! Luckily, I had room for the meat in my deep freezer, which is where it went the moment I got home. In my enthusiasm for finding such a good deal, though, I didn’t think through what I’d cook. The beef and chicken I didn’t have to think twice about; I have lots of recipes for those meats. But the pork stumped me.
You see, I usually buy pork chops or pork tenderloin. Occasionally, I buy pork loin or ham. But these were Southern-style boneless pork ribs, thick and meaty. Why not just barbecue a batch of ribs, marinate them and slap them on the grill? Well, I couldn’t do that and feed all four of us because I bought just one 1½-pound package containing five ribs. I considered making pork-fried rice, but my daughter hates Chinese food. So I searched, and this is what I came up with.
This recipe features honey, which is well-known for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, it’s considered one of nature’s best all-around remedies. At the moment, two of my children are suffering from allergies. So I figured it would do them some good to consume some honey.
I fixed this dish using my iron skillet. If you don’t have one, you can sear the meat in a skillet, transfer it to a baking pan and pour the sauce over it before putting it in the oven.
Pan-seared pork ribs with honey-garlic sauce
- 5 Southern-style (also called country style) boneless pork ribs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup chicken broth (warmed, so it melts the honey)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Sea salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork ribs in the preheated skillet until browned, 1½ to 2 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, whisk together honey, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, sea salt and pepper in a bowl.
- If you are using an iron skillet, when meat is browned on all sides, pour the sauce over the ribs and place it in the oven. If you are using a baking pan, transfer browned meat to the pan, pour the sauce over the ribs and place it in the oven.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the ribs are no longer pink in the center, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your oven and whether you used an iron skillet or baking pan. Mine cooked through in 30 minutes.
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