Back ribs with bone in

We had these in Flor-Ida and I was pleased yesterday to see them turn up in our local supermarket.

So I paired them with a dish I have attempted a couple of times while away from home but with sketchy results.  I was confident that I would get a better result cooking at home.

The key is relatively slow cooking, a braising simmer if you will, to maintain the moisture in the pork.  What we don't like about pork CHOPS for example, is that they are hard to cook while maintaining the moisture.  They get dry and a bit tough.

These ribs have plenty of fat and after trying them again today I now emphasize that it is extremely important to get the bone in ribs.  That cut is cheaper by 20 cents a pound or so.  Further you are paying for the bone so even with the price differential you may be paying a bit more for the part you are actually going to get to eat.  Santini has taught me that price sensitivity when it comes to food is the wrong approach.  The results and what you are actually going to eat are what is important and the result for this meal is better with the bone in cut.  Take the cheap cut, buy the bone.

So the cooking directions are as follows:

Cut the onion into large pieces, get it started with some oil.
As soon as the onion begins to soften start browning the pork in the same pan.
Add a braising base, I used some beer that one of the guests from the Oscar party left at our house, a particularly full body beer.  You want something with enough carrying power to handle the strong tastes of the other ingredients.
Sauerkraut.
Get it all up to a boil then reduce heat and simmer.
I have done it uncovered but I now believe that I am trying to keep the moisture in so today I simmered covered (with an open vent in the cover).
At least 45 minutes, slow cook.
To judge when it is done I personally want the bone to begin to separate itself from the meat.

A perhaps interesting side note is that the kraut there on the left is Gino's homemade sauerkraut making one of its first appearances since it came out of the fermenting crock.  At the time I removed it from the crock I wasn't real sure about whether I liked it or not.

So how was it today?

Excellent.

And everything transferred to the dinner plate.

The tiny potatoes came out almost as good here as they were in Flor-Ida but I think I will go with 4 and a half minutes next time instead of 5.  The green beans were also microwaved so the only real cooking was the pork.

Which was excellent.  TOPWLH pronounced it as possibly the best ever.  She says that almost every time.